Kingdom Hearts: Another Tale
by X-TheAmazingKeybladeDuelist-X
Summary: A certain Brown hedgehog has been having rather strange dreams lately, ones he's been always having. He and his friends wish to explore and discover new worlds, but doing so is not what it always seems. Gifted with the power of the legendary keyblade, he must protect those around him and to stop the beings known as the Heartless; Master of the Keyblade: Ken the Hedgehog.
1. Dive into the Heart

_**(Well, time to work on this. Since some people have already done some KH stories, I might as well myself but do my own version. All characters and worlds used in this are NOT mine except for any oc's used in this. They are all owned by their respective creators. Hope you enjoy.)**_

_**Chapter I: Diving Into the Heart**_

Ever since the dawn of time itself, there was always light and darkness in all worlds, no matter how big or small the place or the people within it's hearts are. Hearts, are the key to all life and the vessel of light and darkness itself, which created the battle against these two. The tale of light, is what it always followed in this battle. Within the abyss of darkness with small shrouds of light, held a small humanoid falling from within, a hedgehog more or less. It was a seventeen year old Brown Hedgehog with a Grey Arrow-like marking on its top quill, a damaged left ear but a normal right one with a gold ring through it, and wore a Lighter Brown shirt with Grey short sleeves, Black pants with his symbol on his right leg with a same colored Backpack, Shoes that a White 'X' over it, White gloves that had the palms Black and a Gold ring on his right middle finger, a Dark Blue scarf, and sportstape on his ankles and forearms. He floated inside the darkness, but also looked like he was floating as well.

_"I've been having...These weird thoughts lately._" The Hedgehog said. _"Like...Is any of this really real, or just a part of my imagination deep in me?" _

He had his eyes closed while falling until they opened, revealing his Blue eyes but also flashed him into an entirely different area, revealing to be a beach. He looked around slightly to see he's on an island that held multiple palm trees and wooden shacks, but then looked at the ocean to see someone within the water. The being was too a Hedgehog but was Red with a Black streaks on every quill, including the bangs in front of his face, and wore Black clothing with a White shirt under his Black short sleeved, and White shoes and fingerless gloves with a Golden gauntlet on his left arm. The Brown Hedgehog looked at him in question until the ocean created a large wave, with the Crimson hedgehog slowly turning to so he could stare at him with his piercing Green eyes and offered his hand to him. The Brown hedgehog worried of him and quickly ran to get to him out of the wave, but it suddenly crashed into him, sending him back but then into the ocean. He tried to get up to the surface but due to his inexperience of swimming, he couldn't, but he was glad he didn't when he saw his friend still in the water with his hand still out for him to grasp and starting to float away.

The hedgehog tried to get to him but the waves within the ocean prevented him from doing so and pushed him away from him, with him gargling in response of this until the Crimson hedgehog was no longer to be seen. He tried swimming to him as best as he could master until he was sent up into the surface of the ocean, with him looking around until he unconsciously heard a girl calling to him. He looked to see it was a Bright Red female hedgehog around his age that wore a Blue coat with Blue jeans, Green shoes, White gloves, and Light Brown glasses wave to him, making him wave back and start to doggy paddle over to her until he got to land. He coughed a bit of water out while the girl ran over to him in concern, but he looked at her with a smile and a thumbs up to indicate he's ok just before he got up. She smiled upon seeing this as they both stared at each other until something caught her eyes and pointed at it, making him look to see it falling down into the ocean while a meteor shower was going on.

He stared at what was falling for a while to see it was a figure, but when he found out who it was it took him by surprise; The falling figure was the Brown hedgehog himself, sleeping for some reason. It was then his other self waking up to fall back into the ocean, entering the dark abyss as the island banished and kept falling through it. While falling, he believed he was still in the water and tried swinging his arms and legs around to prevent drowning until he feet hit something to make him stop falling. He stopped waving his arms and looked around the darkness just before a light emitted from under him, blinding him while thousands of doves were also coming out of it. He covered his eyes from the light to look at them flying away, then at what he was on to see it was on a platform that also held a large picture of what appeared to be a female Faun with a Light Green Top, Blue eyes and Redish-Brown hair.

"So much to do..." A voice said, making the hedgehog look around. "So little time...Take your time..."

"What...What is this?" The hedgehog asked himself just before he walked forward to look around, seeing nothing but space in the area.

"Don't be afraid. The door is still shut. Are you ready?" The voice asked, just before the chocolate-colored hedgehog stopped to watch three small pillars come out from the platform, with weapons coming out a Black shield with a Red outline and a hedgehog symbol on it, a staff that has a Black wield with a three dimensional hedgehog symbol on top of it, and a broadsword with a Yellow guard and a Red spot in the middle that has the Black hedgehog symbol. "Power sleep within you...If you give it form...It will give you strength. Chose well..."

The hedgehog looked up in question, then looked at the weapons. "...Which one though?" He asked while keeping his eyes on the broadsword, and then made his way to it by jumping onto it and grabbed it, then observed it by swinging it around.

"The power of the warrior. Invincible courage; A blade of great destruction." The voice said, which made him suddenly stop swinging it to look at it. "Is this the path you choose?"

He looked at it again to observe it just by sight, debating on it until he nodded, making it disappear in a flash of light.

"Your path is set." The voice said again. "But to chose this path, you must surrender another." The Hazel hedgehog rubbed his quills slightly while looking at the staff and shield, just before he made a decision to make his way to the shield to observe it. "The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends; A shield to repel all...Will you surrender this path?" He stared at it more. Give up the kindness to aid friends and the power to repel all? It didn't sound much of a good sacrifice, so he shook his head and jumped off to get to where the staff was. "The power of the mystic. Inner strength; Staff of wonder and ruin. Will you surrender this path?" Staff of wonder sounded good, but ruin? Ruin didn't sound very good to him.

"...Yes, I do." The hedgehog said with the staff flashing away.

"You have chose the path of the warrior. You have surrendered the path of the mystic." The voice said. "Is this the path you choose?" The hedgehog looked up while debating on his choices, then nodded. Once doing do, the pillars begun to crumble on itself, catching the Brown one off guard and jumped off just before it crashed through the platform, shattering it along with the others as the rest of it was falling apart, making him scream.

He kept falling for who knew how long until he saw another platform, one that contained a picture of a Dark Blonde woman wearing a Pink and Purple princess dress and a Purple flap that was attached to golden pieces around her waist, along with having Gold shoulder plates and a crown on her, but the biggest noticeable thing was she held a Yellow triangle in her hand. He saw the woman while he begun to slow down from falling, in which he flipped around and landed onto it gently just before the sword appeared into his right hand.

"You've gained the power to fight." The voice said. "Use that power to defend yourself and others from them."

"Them?" The Brown hedgehog asked until he saw something Black forming into the platform and started coming out, showing to be a small Black being with antennas and large Yellow eyes. Seeing them surprised him. "W-What is that?" The Black being lunged at him, catching him off guard but quickly reacted to it but swinging the sword towards it, cutting it right down the middle. He breathed a bit heavily from the surprise but more of them formed from nearby. "What are these things?!" More of them lunged toward him, with him then reacting by slashing another through the chest but the other two got onto his arms and pinned him down onto the platform, covering him and it in darkness.

He quickly moved as fast as he could but his efforts meant nothing and was then drowned into the darkness, swinging his arms and legs in self-defense while he choked onto the dark power going down his throat until it disappeared and left him somewhere else. He opened his eyes and slowly got up to see he was on a wooden platform with three others there. One was a Light Blue male hedgehog with a Dark Green steak on it while also wearing only a Grey scarf, gloves, and boots. Another was a Black male hedgehog with a White steak, Black and White clothing, and a White mark under one of his eyes. The last one, but also the youngest, was a small Black cat with White fur on her ears, Purple highlights on her bangs, a Black heart on her cheek, and wears a Black and Purple top that covers her arms as well except her stomach, and shorts, shoes, and gloves that have the same scheme.

"Is...Is it over?" The Brown hedgehog asked.

"Hold on. The door won't open just yet." The voice said, in which the hedgehog reacted by sighing a bit. "First, tell me more about yourself."

"About myse-How do I do that?!" He asked, but got no response. He shook his head and walked over to the Light Blue hedgehog. "Hiya Nero."

"What are you afraid of?" Nero asked, surprising the Hazel colored animal.

"Uh...I'm sorry?" He asked.

"What are you afraid of?" Nero asked again. Hearing him like this made the Dark Brown Mobian a bit concerned, but went with it.

"To...To be indecisive." He said.

"Being indecisive? Is that really so scary?" Nero asked, making the hedgehog a bit freaked out but decided to move over to the Black one.

"Hey, Deimos. What's up with Nero? He seems kinda-" He tried to say.

"What do you want out of life?" Deimos asked. Hearing this made his eyes widen.

"Oh come on, not you too!" The Chocolate-colored hedgehog said, but sighed and went with it. "Alright, fine...To see rare sights."

"To see rare sights, huh?" Deimos asked, with the hedgehog then looking and walking toward the cat.

"I'm gonna take a guess that you're not really Kathy?" He asked.

"What's...Most important to you...?" She asked quietly. He was a bit surprised that despite it being a dream it got her quiet personality right, but ignored this feature and decided to answer it.

"Friendship." He said.

"Friendship...Hm?" She asked.

"You want friendship. You want to see rare sights. You're afraid of being indecisive." The voice said. "Your journey begins at midday. Keep a steady path and you'll come through." The hedgehog nodded. "The day you will open the door are both far and very near."

There was a sudden bright light consuming the area while also blinding the hedgehog greatly until it faded away. He recovered his vision to look that he's back to where he was before, but was now on a platform that held a picture of a Blonde princess that's wearing a Pink princess dress with a Blue oval gem on the chest, long White gloves, and a Gold crown with a large Black being with spikes behind her as a shadow. He observed the woman. "It's weird...It's like I've...Seen her before." He said. His attention for her was then switched over to a multi-glassed pathway being formed on another side of the platform, leading to another one.

He only stared at it but decided to follow to where the road led with his sword in hand, and made it to the next one. On the next platform held a picture of a woman with Orange-Red hair, Grey eyes, and wore a White robe with Black outlines and held Blue pins in her hair, and behind her had a man with spikey Orange hair and wore Black robes with a same colored sword in his hands.

"The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes." The voice said, making the Hazel hedgehog's Blue eyes widen and look at his shadow, seeing it lift up from the platform and begun to get larger and more deformed, making him walks backwards. "But don't be afraid. And don't forget..." The being then finally formed into a Black muscular humanoid that has small legs and wings, tentacles on its head wrapped around, cold Yellow eyes, and a large hole through its chest that resembles a heart.

"What...Is that thing?" The hedgehog asked, but prepared his sword. "Doesn't matter I guess. I'll just have to fight!" He quickly ran toward the tall being as quick as he could, but at the same time it prepared its fist in darkness and slammed it into the platform to create the smaller Black beings with darkness, not only cracking it but also creating a shockwave that sent him back. The hedgehog stabbed his sword into the platform and quickly took it out to rush toward the being while slashing any of the smaller ones in his was and slash its wrist, making it take it out of where it slammed his fist. "How do you like that?" It got on its knees and suddenly shot darkness balls out of where the heart is, surprising the Brown hedgehog.

The balls quickly homed in on him and hit him to get him knocked down, hitting the floor along with the sword fading away. His eyes widened by seeing this and the large being then formed darkness onto the platform to consume the Hazelnut colored hedgehog, once again making him react by swinging his arms and legs while he was choking and being consumed by it.

"But don't be afraid..." The voice said. "...You hold the mightiest weapon of them all...So never forget."

He was slowly seeping into the darkness but couldn't accept defeat and gripped onto the side of where he was, but his efforts mean nothing and was seeped into the darkness, but he was able to hear the last words of what the voice said before he disappeared.

"You are the one who will open the door...Ken the Hedgehog."


	2. A Path in Destiny - Part I

**_Chapter II: A Path in Destiny - Part I_**

The Brown hedgehog suddenly woke up from what appeared to be a dream the entire time, and looked around where he was. He was near the beach of an island, and also saw the view of what it had to offer. He sighed a bit in relief.

"Ok, that's officially it. No more eating that stuffed crust pizza before sleeping. I should know what that stuff does to me by now." He said to himself before lying down to see the Cherry-Red female hedgehog watched from under him, catching him by complete surprise. "HOLY!" He quickly scuffled around the sand by the sight of her, making her laugh a bit, which made him calm down largely to look at her. "Not cool Katie. Not cool at all!"

"I'd knew I would find you sleeping here, Kenny." Katie said with a smirk.

"H-Hey! I was NOT sleeping!" Ken said before getting up and shaking the sand off his fur and clothes. "I was in this place and this..." He thought about what he was about to say about the dream. Talk about how he was taken away by a Black monster? Would she believe that by any means? No, she wouldn't by much since they never did exist at all. "...Eh...Never mind. It was probably nothing."

He lied of this since it was somewhat a nightmare, but Katie smiled of it and stared at the ocean, making him wonder of something. "Say, Katie...I don't think we ever asked you before. But, er, what WAS your hometown like?"

"...No, not by much." She said with her smile still intact.

"Really?" He asked in wonder. "...So, nothing at all?"

Her smile faded away slightly. "Nothing." She said. "Though, I guess it wouldn't hurt to go see it!" The Brown hedgehog smiled and nodded.

"Same here, or in fact any other place out there." He said. "I bet there's more than just THIS place out there."

"Though we can't do that without a raft!" An Australian voice yelled as they both looked to see the Crimson hedgehog nearby, who is holding a log in arm. "Guess you guys forgot all about me!" He put it onto the side and looked at Katie. "You're just as lazy as this guy is." He points at Ken, which made him a bit annoyed.

"I'm not THAT lazy EX!" He said.

Katie smiled at this. "So you noticed then." She then got a sudden idea. "Alright then, let's all finish it together! I'll race you!"

"What?" Ken asked tiredly and sat down.

"...You're kiddin'." EX said before his arms crossed.

"Ready, go!" Katie said with a smirk, making both Ex and Ken look at each other and suddenly run down the coastline of the beach. They all ran through the area while, unknown to them, a Brown hooded figure watched them in the distance, then walked away into the shadows.

* * *

><p><span><strong><em>X-Destiny Islands-X<em>**

Ken walked through the beach with a list in hand, the very same one Katie gave him, looking through it. "So just one log, rope, and a cloth." He said before sighing. "Man, how am I the one finding the rest while EX only found just one of the logs? What is this, bad luck for a main protagonist?"

He thought about that for a while but shook his head and continued looked to find any of the stuff needed to make the raft, but then noticed a rope on one of the docks, with Kathy sitting down on the end eating Melon bread in one hand and messing with the rope on the other.

"Well...I guess it couldn't hurt to try and ask for it." He said to himself. He slowly walked to the dock as quietly as possible to not frighten her, but he accidentally made a squeak on one of the boards, making her ears perk up and look at him. He froze by her doing this.

"...Chiii~..." She said silently while staring at him with her Brightly lite Yellow eyes. He wondered on what to do at this point, but decided to smile and raise his hand a bit.

"...Uh...Hi Kathy." Ken said, with her then suddenly reacting by moving back a bit. "H-Hey! It's alright! I just, er, I just wanted to ask you if I can have the rope?"

"...For your raft...?" She asked, with him nodding. "...Ok." She slowly got up and walked over to him to hand over the rope, making him smile.

"Thanks Kathy. I get you some more Melon bread when I get the time to." He said, which made her smile suddenly hug him. He smiled and hugged back. "Alright, I have to go. I need to get this stuff to Katie."

She nodded and Ken walked away to get the rest of the other supplies needed for the raft. He checked the rope off his list and continued searching through the island by going up to a treehouse that they all used before, especially with Kathy when she was much smaller. He went up to the treehouse, which was a large tree, and entered through a old wooden door to indeed see an old cloth from the inside, but there was something else. Deimos was sleeping and snoring on one of the old beds, and everyone on the island knew he didn't like being woken up.

"So...Just move slow and try to not make any noise." Ken said to himself.

He slowly moved toward the cloth hanging on the wall hung by nails, while within his mind he prayed to some sort of existent god that he wouldn't make a noise this time. He tip-toed to and finally made it to the cloth and slowly tried to get the nails out. Deimos kept tossing and turning a bit, making Ken nervous a bit but kept his focus on getting the cloth. He finally removed the nails, making the Chocolate-colored hedgehog sigh a bit in relief, then quietly made his way to exit before something sudden happened. Deimos' bed suddenly broke on him, making the sleeping hedgehog fall while Ken just witnessed it and tried not to laugh.

"Whooo? Whu wus dat?" He asked a big slurry-like, making the Brown hedgehog try to not burst out in laughter but quickly left the treehouse so he wouldn't assume he did it.

As soon as he got out of the area, he laughed to his hearts content just by the sudden event that occurred. "Oh my god...Just-" He said but kept laughing long before he calmed down and went back to work on finding the last of what was needed; The last log. He couldn't find it in the treehouse or anywhere else, so he went to around the same area Kathy was in and went up the ladder to the deck. Once there, he saw Nero leaning against one of the walls in thought. "Hey, Nero!" The Sky Blue hedgehog looked at the Hazel colored Mobian.

"Hiya." He said, and said that only since at some points he was alone. "Is there somethin' you need?" Ken looked near Nero to see the log, the last one needed.

"Well, I mean...Can I have that log over there?" He asked, making the now lonely hedgehog look at it.

"Eh, sure. But, you'd have to work for it." Nero said. The Dark Brown animal stared at him in question until it was answered by a wooden sword being thrown at him, which he caught. "You get what I'm saying?" Ken smirked upon hearing it.

"Yeah, I get what you're saying. Alright, let's do it!" He said before preparing his wooden sword, with Nero doing the very same. They had a small stand off to see who would attack first until the Light Blue hedgehog rushed toward him, making the Brown one counter it by doing a quick guard with his sword and attempted to smack Nero with the sword, only for the swipe to be dodged.

"Nearly got me, but not near enough!" Nero said with a smug smile and proceeded to quickly strike his opponent by attacking Ken's knee, but due to his reflexes from the amount of fights as this, the Dark Caramel-colored fighter quickly jumped out of the range of the attack and swiped the wooden weapon at Nero. He was hit in the hand, knocking away the sword from his grasp, then Ken's sword was aimed toward him.

"...It's over Nero. You're glad it's just a wooden one, huh?" He asked, giving the Cyan Mobain the very same smirk he gave him, making him smile.

"Alright, alright. It's yours." Nero said, giving the log to him.

Ken nodded with a smile and ran away with the supplies he got in arms, while at the same time Deimos yelled in the distance asking on who it was that messed up his bed.

* * *

><p>Both the Dark Brown, Bright and Dark Red Hedgehogs were staring at the sunset within a part of the island, both Ken and Katie sitting next to each other on top of a tree that held fruits that are the shape of stars. They all kept staring at the Bright-Orange and soon to be Red sun of the sunset, along with the ocean.<p>

"...So...Katie's home is out there somewhere, right?" Ken asked in question.

Ex only shrugged by hearing this while also keeping his arms crossed. "Maybe...But I don't think we'll know by staying here."

"But..." The Brown furred and Grey arrowed hedgehog was about to say. "...How far can a raft take us? Do you think it'll work?" The Crimson hedgehog only shrugged.

"I dunno, but there's always somethin' else if this thing ain't gonna work." He said, and said that only with nothing else to add.

"So, if there are other worlds, what would you do there?" Katie asked with a smile, but upon that question left the Ruby Red Mobian wondering of it.

"...Never thought of it." He said, no longer keeping his arms crossed. "I guess I just always asked myself why we're even here in the first place." He aimed his gauntlet to the setting sun, seeing the shine of it. "If there really is any others, why are we on here? And, if there even is others...Maybe we're a part of somethin' bigger." He grasped his gauntlet hand, attempting to grab the sun but couldn't due to its long distance. "I guess...Maybe It's cause curiosity has the best outta me...Wouldn't all of ya want to see what's out there aside from here? Doin' what we've always been doin' every bloody day?"

Both the Chocolate-colored and Cherry-Red hedgehogs stared at him until she smiled. "Thinking a lot?" She asked, making EX nod.

"I guess it's cause of you guys." He said, moving his bangs a bit. "Wasn't for any of ya, I wouldn't have thought about it..." He had his Green eyes looking at both of their Blue ones. "So...Thanks." They all kept looking at the sunset, seeing it finally turning Dark Red. They all got off of where they were and started heading back to their home.

They all kept heading their way until EX saw something that caught his attention, and then smirked before he grabbed the object. "Ken!" This made the Brown Mobian look and suddenly catch what it was that caught the Crimson hedgehog's attention; One of the star fruit. "Wanted one, right?"

"A Papou Fruit?" He asked in wonder, questioning why his best friend gave him a legendary fruit. What purpose was it exactly?

"You outta know what it does mate." The Red hedgehog said with a smirk. "When ya share one with someone you love, your hearts are connected forever." He put his gauntlet on Ken's shoulders. "C'mon, I know you wanna try it with her."

"Huh? What do you-" The Brown hedgehog was about to ask but finally got what he was saying; He was joking about sharing it with Katie, making him blush to even make Katie's bright Red fur put to shame. "You freaking jerk!" The Crimson hedgehog only laughed at his reaction, making the Hazel-colored hedgehog smirk and run after the running EX.

* * *

><p><em><strong><span>X-Unknown-X<span>**_

The area from within was a large forest that was covered in a large wall, but from within was the biggest part of it was a city that held multiple metallic buildings from within that still had the nature pieces of it and held multiple Mobians, very much like the ones in Destiny Island. But there was one spot within the area that was has the most attention; A large castle that was much like where royalty would be. Inside the castle halls had a small Yellow-Orange fox with Blue eyes, White gloves, Red shoes with the front in White, and wore Yellow colored robes. But the biggest feature was he had two tails instead of one. The Yellow fox stopped at a large door that held a room, and tapped it lightly before it suddenly opened in front of him.

He entered the room, the throne room, with a smile on his face. "Good morning your majesty!" He said. "Everything is going-" He opened his eyes to look at the room inside, seeing something out of place; The throne was empty. "-W-WHAT?!" His eyes were fully wide in shock while he debated on what to do at this point, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something. He looked to see something coming out from behind the throne, the king's messenger and the Fox's lover's friend, Cheese the Chao hold what appeared to be a letter with the hedgehog symbol as a seal for it.

"Cheese, what is that?" The fox asked as the small Chao tried to speak, but could never do English, while waving the letter.

The fox grabbed it, opened it, and begun to read it. He read as slowly as possible while keeping himself calm, but once he finished it, he only had a blank stare. Then, which is much unlike him, he ran out of the throne room screaming like a small girl.

"KNUCKLES! KNUCKLES!" He yelled while he flew through the hallways of the castle by spinning his tails around for speed. He exited the back of the castle and ran through the ruins of an old shrine, seeing another Mobian. The one the fox found was a Red Echidna named Knuckles, who has medium sized muscles, six dreadlocks down to his shoulders, a crescent moon symbol on his chest, Green and Red shoes, White boxing-like gloves with spikes on it, and has sports on his arms along with Golden shoulder pads and a helmet. But the bad part of finding him was he was asleep. "Knuckles! Knuckles! Wake up! I need you up!"

Knuckles just kept sleeping and snoring to his hearts content until the Sunshine colored fox finally had it with him sleeping and begun taking out a wrench from completely out of nowhere. "I said WAKE UP!" The fox yelled right before hitting Knuckles in the head with the wrench, which did get him up but was groaning and holding his head in pain.

"Ow...That hurts." Knuckles said just before looking at the fox. "Tails, what was THAT FOR?!"

At that second, Tails covered Knuckles' mouth to prevent him from talking.

"Quiet! We have a HUGE problem!" Tails said, making the Ruby Red Echidna silent while his mouth was no longer covered. "But we CAN'T tell anybody."

Hearing this caught Knuckles' attention greatly. "Amy?"

"Not even the queen herself!" Tails said.

"...Cream?" Knuckles asked, making the fox sigh slightly.

"...Yes, even Cream." He said.

"...Amy?" Hearing this made Tails a bit annoyed.

"You already asked that." He said.

"...Cream?" Knuckles asked again, completely oblivious.

"NO! NOT CREAM!" Tails said. "Nobody should know about it!"

The Red Echidna nodded a bit before looking at what's behind the fox. "...Uh...You're gonna have to." He smiled and started waving. "Hey there ladies!" Tails immediately froze upon hearing that and slowly looked behind him to see who it was. Amy Rose, a Pink hedgehog with her quills now dreadlocks and wore a sparkling Blue dress, and Cream the Rabbit, a small Cream-colored rabbit that wore a Yellow dress as well.

"U-U-Um...Hi." Tails said, and that's all he could say due to the fact that he could also see the flames of anger in Amy's eyes.

"...You're telling us what's going on, right now!" She said, along with Cream nodding.

"Miles, what's happening?" She asked in a high pitched voice, with the fox now sweating intensely just before he sighed in defeat.

"Oh man...Sonic's going to kill me." He said to himself.


	3. A Path in Destiny - Part II

**_Chapter III - A Path in Destiny - Part 2_**

It was the day after the three hedgehogs gathered the very items needed to make the raft, but there was one other thing missing to make the journey probable. They needed food to make it worth while. Near the shore of the island, a boat was being controlled by a hurrying Ken.

"I can't believe I overslept!" The hedgehog said to himself in a slight of anger, mainly because that he promised to be in the islands early. He got to the shore of the beach so he would get off and get to the other side of the island.

He made his way to the other side, which has a wooden bridge made from scratch that led to a small piece of rock that held a tower with a zipline, and jumped off of it to an area that held multiple palm trees near the edge of beach. On the sad was a large raft, with EX sitting on there patneitly with Katie, with her making something with seashells. "...You're late." EX said.

The Dark Caramel-colored hedgehog rubbed his quills in embarrassment. "S-Sorry! I guess I got excited over how the raft would turn out!" He smiled a bit long before noticing it in awe, for it was only made of logs and a large stick attached for a sail made of the cloth. "Wow...You guys really did a good job on this!" Katie smiled at this but EX shook his head a bit, since he was the only one who really built it but rolled with it.

"Yeah, we did." He said. "Anyway, I did my part. You outta do yours if we wanna get outta here."

"Yeah, yeah...I know." Ken said with a small smirk. "So what is there left to get?"

Katie gave him another list, and he looked to see that it was on the SAME paper he used before but with everything crossed out and the list was on the back. "...And I thought I was lazy!" He said to himself, making the Bright Red hedgehog giggle a bit. He read the list anyway to see all he need were fish and mushrooms. He knew a good majority of mushrooms were inside a cave near where the treehouse was, but where would he find fish?

"Better get to it!" Katie said, making the Hazel hedgehog sigh and walk back to the other side of the island.

He thought that maybe it would be a good idea to get the mushrooms first since he knew where they were, so why not? But just when he was about to make his way over to the caves, he saw Kathy fishing some...Well, fish. He hated to ask her for something in her possession again, so he decided to do something else to get it. He looked around to see Nero making a fishing rod on the deck. The Chocolate-colored Mobian decided to get over to him by climbing up the ladder leading to the deck and walk.

"Hey Nero." Ken said, catching the Cyan hedgehog's attention. "Is it alright if I borrow that once you're finished?"

"Yeah, sure. Just give me a bit." He said.

The Brown hedgehog waited patiently for the rod until he received it, and got down from the deck to he could sit of the sand and start fishing. "Sheesh, I feel like a no lifer...like a fat cat fishing for a frog. Those don't exist...Right?" He thought about it but shook his head. "Nah!" He kept fishing still and was able to catch three fish out of it, which made him feel really accomplished. He put the fish somewhere nobody would find them, and started toward the cave, but also saw Deimos coming out of it. "Hey Deimos, sleep alright?"

He shook his head. "No, not by much. I SWEAR someone freakin' rigged it to break on me." Ken tried pushing what happened to Deimos out of his mind just due to the fact of its hilarity. "Anyway, you see a hooded guy enter here?"

"No?" Ken asked. How would he know about that? "Why?"

"I dunno, guess I just saw things or whatever." The Black furred White steaked hedgehog said.

"Is that right?" The Brown wooden sword wielder asked before looking at it. "I think I'll check it out myself if you don't mind.

Deimos nodded. "Good luck with that dude."

The Hazel hedgehog entered through the entry of the cave from the tunnel and into a large rock cave, filled with drawings from within. But the biggest thing to catch anyone's attention was a large Brown door. He tried opening it at one point, but never could and was always there for some odd reason. Regardless, he found at least the mushroom within the cave, and picked them all but he saw that one was near a particular picture; A picture of both Ken and Katie themselves. He remembered back when they were little and when they first met. Both him and her always drew pictures around the caves. The hedgehog kneeled down and put his hand over the picture while keeping his stare onto it.

He slowly looked around for something, picked up a rock, and slowly begun adding something to the picture while blushing a bit darkly. When he was done, he the drawing of himself giving Katie a Papou fruit. He kept his sight on the picture until he felt someone was behind him, making him look to see it was the very same Brown hooded figure that watched him yesterday, staying in the shadows between the cave walls.

"W-Who are you?!" Ken asked while taking out his wooden sword from his backpack.

"...I've come to see the door to this world." The figure, who has a male voice, said. "This world has been connected..." The Dark Caramel-colored animal was confused by what he meant. "...Tied to the darkness...Soon to be completely eclipsed."

The hedgehog only stared in slight fear. "Who are you, and what do you even mean by that?" He observed the hooded figure a bit. "...How did you even get here?"

"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door..." He only said.

A possible answer finally hit Ken. Not as hard as being hit with a mallet once upon a time by his sister Yune just for the heck of it, but still. "So then, you're from another world...Right?"

"There is still so very much to learn...Yet you understand so little...One who knows nothing can understand nothing." The hooded one said, making the questioning hedgehog look at the door in wonder.

He looked back at where the hooded figure was, only to see he was no longer there. This shocked him but slowly calmed down into wonder. Where did he go? Who was he? What did he mean by that? So many questions came into his head, but chose to ignore it and head back to the raft with the mushrooms and fish in arms, only to see Katie there still making something with the seashells.

"Hey, I'm back." The Dirt Brown hedgehog said before taking notice of what she was doing. "What is that?"

She looked at him and got up with a smile. "A good luck charm." She said as she showed it to him, but it was half finished yet was soon to be in the form of a star. "Whenever someone wears it out in the sea, it would bring them good luck for their journey away and back from where they came from." Ken nodded but looked at the sun and waves of the island, wondering on what the mysterious man wanted or where he came from.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>  
>The Orange light of the sun was covering the islands once again, lighting up the ocean due to the reflection. Only the Bright Red and Dark Brown hedgehogs sat on the docks, observing the very bright light in front of them. Ken observed it then glanced at Katie, looking at her.<p>

"You know...EX has changed." She said suddenly, taking him off guard.

"Huh? What do you mean?" He asked.

"...You know what we should do?" She suddenly asked with a smile and then turned to him. "Let's go! Just the two of us!"

Hearing upon that surprised him. "Huh?!"

"Kidding!" Katie said, which made the Chocolate-colored hedgehog sigh.

"Man, here you were talking about change when you did yourself." He said in a slight bit of worry, then turned into a small smirk.

"Maybe..." She said, looking back at the sunset. "I was a bit scared about doing it at first, since we'll be leaving our only home...But I think I'm ready to."

He nodded. "Right. No matter what, we can always find our way back here." He looked back at her, making the Cherry-Red one look back. "Right?"

"Right...Kenny?" She asked, catching his attention. "Don't ever change."

He wasn't sure what she meant by it, but if she called him by a pet name that she must have been passionate of what she said. "...I will."

"Good." She said as she got up. "Once we set sail...It'll be great."

They kept staring at the sunset, knowing it'll be the last time they'll be here. They'll be leaving everything behind, friends, homes, and family. But they didn't let that stop them from doing what they planned to, no matter what.

* * *

><p>"...Alright, you're telling us what's happening right now!" Queen Amy said in anger while preparing a large Yellow hammer in hand while Cream tried holding back so she wouldn't hit both Tails and Knuckles. They all knew how deadly she would be when she's angry.<p>

"Well..." Tails said before taking a deep breath. "Alright, but this might be a bit hard to take at the moment."

Knuckles nodded. "I'll be the one reading it!" He took the letter and prepared to read it, but he seemed to have a small bit of difficulty. He showed it to the Yellow fox-like knight. "Uh...I can't read his handwriting." Tails only face-palmed upon hearing it and helped him by doing one thing only; Turning the paper over, indicating that he was reading it upside-down.  
>"Oh...OH!" Knuckles took the paper back and begun reading it. It said this:<p>

Hiya Tails, Knuckles, or anyone else; Sorry to leave you guys like this, but somethin's up around here, and I get the feelin' it's not Egghead again. I'm not sure what's up, but I know it's something big since the stars have been going out one by one. So that's gotta mean something's not far off. Hate to leave ya'll, but I gotta check this thing out. There's also someone with a 'key'; The key to us stayin' alive. So, here's what ya gotta do; I need you and Knuckles to find him and stick with the guy, got it? We need this guy or we're history! So, go to Traverse Town and find Jet the Hawk. He'll help lead the way.

PS: Can you tell Ames that I'm sorry for this? I promise to get back here before ya know it.

Thanks lil bro, I owe ya. - Sonic T Hedgehog

Amy looked down alongside Cream.

"So...What do we do now?" The Cream-colored rabbit asked in worry.

"We'll just have to trust Sonic." Amy said while holding her hands.

Tails nodded. "Don't worry, we'll find him and this 'key'." He looks at Cream. "Cream, can you-"

"Of course Miles, I'd be happy to." She said with a smile, making the Sunshine-colored fox give her a reassuring smile.

"We hope you get back here in one piece." The Rose-pink hedgehog said, making both Tails and Knuckles salute and walked away to their mission.

The both of them walked down a large circling hallway with their weapons in hand. Knuckles being a large Red Shield on his arm, and Tails wielding a staff in hand. They walked down into a large metallic room filled with gears but also had a runway, containing a large Gold, White, and Red plane; The X Tornado. Inside the room contained a spot for the plane to take of, controlled by two Robots; E-102 Gamma and E-123 Omega.

"The X Tornado is ready to take off. It is ready when needed." Gamma said, with Tails taking the front of the plane while Knuckles sat one the left of it.

The X Tornado was starting to lift and move toward an opening for the exit, while the Bright Yellow fox looked down to the ground from where he was to see both Amy and Cream watching. The young rabbit princess stared at Tails in worry, but he smiled and gave her a thumbs up to help calm her nerves. The X Tornado finally started running its engines.

Omega then pressed a button on a console for the ship/plane. "Blast off in three...Two...One."

Instead of flying forward, it suddenly dropped down through the floor instead of being shot forward. Tails screamed from the fall while Knuckles only cheered as if he was on a rollercoaster, but who could blame him?

"THIS IS NOT WHAT I HAD IN MIND!" The Yellow fox-knight screamed while the plane fell through the hole still.

Outside of the world of Knothole, filled with space, a small hole came out of the bottom of the piece of land and the X Tornado came out. Both Tails and Knuckles recovered from the fall and quickls flew off to start their journey.


	4. The Key to Destiny

**_Chapter IIIV: The Key to Destiny  
><em>**  
>It was extremely dark at night, and not a single one was either outside or awake, except for a certain Hazel colored hedgehog. He was lying on his bed with his window open, staring at the outside. He thought about what Katie said once before.<p>

_"Once we set sail...It'll be great."  
><em>  
>He sighed a bit and started closing his Blue eyes shining in the moonlight, but he heard thunder. This woke him up and looked outside to see a storm entering the islands. "A storm?" He suddenly realized something and got up. "The raft!" He quickly put on his shoes, sportstape, and gloves long before he jumped out through the window.<p>

"Ken! Dinner's ready!" A female voice yelled from downstairs, but she got no response. The source of it slowly walked up, hearing footsteps get louder and louder until it entered, for it was a Grey female hedgehog. She looked around in worry. "Ken?"

At the same time, the Brown hedgehog quickly got on his boat and tried to make his way to the island shore. He hurried to it with a large difficulty due to the heavy waves, along with seeing a large Black sphere above the large piece of land.

He stared at it in shock. "What...Is that?" He quickly made it to the dock on the island and jumped on it, seeing two other boats on there. "That must be...Could it be EX's and Katie's?!" He looked around quickly until he noticed Black splotches coming out of the ground and formed the very same beings from his dream; Calling them Shadows. "You've got to be kidding me...Here too?!"

He drew his wooden sword from his backpack and swiped his sword at one of them, but it did nothing to the shadow and went straight through. This shocked him greatly, and now knowing it has no effect he quickly ran away from them by charging through. He kept running until he saw the small island that held the Papou fruit tree, which was connected to a wooden bridge, and saw that EX was standing there facing the ocean. The Mobian quickly jumped on one of the wooden shacks to get to where he is.

"EX!" The island warrior yelled, finally catching up to him. "What's happening? Where's Katie?"

"...Don't you get it? The door's open." The Blood Red hedgehog said. This questioned the Brown one while EX turned to him. "The doors open! Now we can get to the outside world!"

"But Katie-"

"Katie's coming with us!" EX said, silencing Ken. He looked at the sphere. "Once we get in, we might not come back here ever again...We might not see friends, or family ever again...But this is an opportunity we can pass!" He gripped on his gauntlet tightly. "I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

There was a sudden burst of darkness coming out from under the Red warriors feet, consuming him while he offered his hand to the Chocolate-colored hedgehog. He tried to reach for his friend to get him out of it, but the darkness started to consume him. He tried reaching for the Red hedgehog but the darkness consumed him, leaving nothing but Black to him. But the Black was suddenly flashed away by a bright light, with him landed on his rear on the outside and saw EX was gone.

"What...Happened?" He asked before getting up and saw something in his hands replaced with the wooden sword since it felt heavier; It was a sword-like key with a Gold square around the Black handle, and on the end held a chain with a Black hedgehog symbol on the end. "What...Is this? Is this a key...Or a sword?"

_"Keyblade...Keyblade..."_

He frowned upon the name of it. "Really? Well that's kinda generic." He felt something was behind him and turned to see some of the shadows catching up. He looked at the keyblade with a smirk, then ran to them and slashed one of them, cutting it and making it explode into darkness right down the middle. He quickly stepped back to look at it with a whistle. "Generic name; Cool power. I'm liking this."

He put it on his shoulder and quickly ran to more of the shadows and quickly slashed with the mighty weapons overwhelming power. At the very same time, a shadow formed behind him and leaped toward to attack. The now key-blade wielder noticed this while at the very same time, the weapon itself glowed brightly. He swung it but much faster than before, which surprised him but chose to ignore it and ran through the crowd of shadows while swinging his new weapon.

"You know, you're kinda cool. I think I'll keep you." Ken said while looking at the keyblade. He looked up from the shadow-free area to also see a White door covering where the cave leads. Where did this door come from? It was clearly never there before! Out of curiosity, he quickly ran over and opened the door so he could enter the inside.

He ran through the small tunnel leading to the main part of the caves. He suddenly stopped to see Katie standing there staring at the door. The Dark Caramel-colored animal was about to reach for her, but she turned toward him with empty and hollow eyes.

"Ken..." She said with no emotion. She reached her hand for him but the Brown door within the cave suddenly blasted open with darkness, sending her flying forward.

He was scared of what could happen to her. "KATIE!" He quickly opened his arms to catch her, but for some odd reason she only passed through him. His Blue eyes widened upon this just before he too was sent away with her. He was thrown out of the cave and landed on sand, and he recovered by getting up to see on the remains of Destiny Islands, only sand remained. "What's even going on?!"

He looked up to see the sphere now bigger and revealing a Red core now, then looked behind him after hearing a large stomp. What the cause of it was was the very same large Black being from his dream, which he called Darkside.

**_Enemy: Darkside_**

He summoned the keyblade in response of it while it roared loudly. The Darkside slammed its fist into the ground so it could create more shadows, but the Brown keyblade wielder ran to its wrist and hacked it.

"How do you like that?!" He asked with a smug smile until the large monster of darkness rose its arms, including the one with its wrists hacked, and started forming darkness into them. It kept doing this before it shot into multiple balls homing toward him. "Oh GREAT!" The warrior attempted to guard against the attack by swinging the balls away so it could ricochet away from him. He was successful of doing this but the last one knocked the weapon away from him. He tried to grab it but it appeared in his hand in a flash. He looked at it, getting an idea on what he could do. He looked at the large monstrosity with one of his eyes closed and suddenly threw it in the head, making it scream since it was stabbed into.

The Brown hedgehog lifted his hand in preparation for the keyblade to return to him, which it did to his non-surprise, and ran toward the Darkside's small legs while his weapon glowed on a Gold tint. He quickly swung it at the leg quickly and hacked through it but saw that it didn't do as much damage as a normal swing, indicating that its ability meant faster swings in exchange for weaker damage to his enemy. He took this advice to heart and finished chopping through with a normal swing, affecting the monster by tumbling down onto its only foot and supported itself by using its hand.

**_Darkside: Draw_**

He stepped back and put the keyblade on his shoulder. "How about that, huh? Not much of a pushover!" There was a large bang around the area, causing the large Black being to suddenly float up into the dark sphere. He didn't know if he was just sucked in or if it was a retreat, but either way the large orb begun sucking in the last of the islands, in which the Dirt Brown hedgehog grab a piece of wood sticking out and hung on with as much strength as he could. Sadly to him, the suction became stronger and stronger, leading the wood breaking. "NO!"

He was sucked into the large orb of darkness, leading him to whatever it was that was related to death or not. Either way, Destiny Islands was no more.


	5. Traverse Town Trouble -Part I

**_Chapter V: Traverse Town Trouble - Part I_**

Both of the Knothole Knights, Tails, no longer wearing the Yellow robes but was replaced with a Brown backpack for his staff, and Knuckles, no longer wearing the golden helmet and shoulder pads, walked through a small town that they both have never seen before. The Ruby Red echidna looked up at the sky since something caught his attention.

"Tails, look up there! A star's going out!" He said, catching the Yellow fox's attention and looked to see a star blinking rapidly before it flashed in disappearance. Unknown to them, the star was Destiny Islands being no more.

"This isn't good. If we keep going like this, more stars will be gone!" Tails said. "Come on, let's get moving!"

The two mobians kept moving, while unknown to them, Cheese the Chao was behind the both of them. How he was able to sneak in, was much unknown to him.

**_X-Traverse Town-X_**

Knuckles kept following Tails. "Whaddaya think that this Jet guy found him first? Think we should find him?"

"I dunno Knuckles, but if that's the case than that's probably our best bet." The sunshine colored fox said to him. The Red echidna nodded but also noticed that Cheese was going toward the left of a shop, a very different direction.

"Uh, hey Tails! I think we should go-" He tried to say.

"Knuckles, please don't repeat that one time you led. You had us lost in the Knothole forest and had us looking all in every direction when the exit was seriously JUST straight." Tails said, bumbing his friend. "Just leave the directions to me this time, please?"

The Ruby Red echidna scratched his head in thought but shrugged and followed the Yellow fox, leaving Cheese to go his respective way. However, Tails MUST have wished his listened to Knuckles since in the alleyway they found the person they were searching for; Ken the Hedgehog himself sleeping against the wall unconsciously. The small bowtied chao started poking him to get him up, which made him wake up slightly and look around.

He looked at Cheese sluggishly. "Yes mommy, of course I'd like more stuffed crust..." He went back to sleep, annoying the small messenger. All of a sudden, the small being took out a large frying pan out of nowhere and hit him in the face with it. This surely woke him up. "AH! OK! I'M UP!" He shook his head and stared at Cheese. "Is...Is this real?" He looked around, knowing he wasn't on the island anymore. "Where am I?" He looked at the small one once again. "Where are we?" Instead of answering, the chao flew away. "Hey! Wait!"

He chased down the small mystical creature, but he was put to a halt when he saw the town. He was surprised, shocked, and in disbelief. He was actually in another world, which also meant that EX was right about there being others. But that also raised another question; Where was EX, Katie, or anyone else from the island for that matter? He decided to look around, with the first step being entering the shop nearby.

The Hazel hedgehog looked around the shop to see multiple accessories. "Uhhh, hey there! How can I-" A voice said, making the young one look to see behind the stand of the store was a large Grey albatross with a Yellow beak and wore Tan gloves, Black and White shoes with Gold straps, and small goggles. The Grey animal looked to see the hedgehog, turning from his cheerful expression into a bored one. "Oh, it's just a small fry."

"Small fry? You ever see a hedgehog before?" The Brown Mobian asked in a a bit of annoyance. "The names Ken, not small fry."

"Whatever ya wanna say little guy." The albatross said, which made Ken annoyed slightly. "So..Uh..whaddaya lookin' for here?" By the sound of it, he didn't seem all that intelligent.

"Well what IS here?"

"What, this place?" The Grey one asked. "This is...Uh...Traverse Town. Here is where everyone taken from their world comes to, like me."

Hearing this surprised the keyblade wielder. "Traverse Town, huh? So then, this place is another world?"

"Y-Yep! It must be way different from this if you're askin' that!"

"I see...My home was destroyed not a bit ago. So...If I'm here, then that must mean EX, Katie, and the others are here too!" The Hazel hedgehog said. "I should probably find them if they are here."

"Go on then. They're p-probably out there somewhere. If you're in danger, I-I'll be here so you can hide out." The albatross said. "By the way, the name's S-Storm."

Ken nodded. "Thanks Storm. Well, I'm off." He walked out of the store to find his fellow friends, but unknown to him that Storm took out a walkie-talkie.

"H-Hey boss! That guy you were l-lookin' for just came in! H-He's uh...Uh..."

"Brown?" A male voice trough it asked.

That word finally hit him. "Y-Yeah! Brown!"

"Good work Storm. Me and Wave are heading over right now!"

At the very same time, the Brown keyblade holder left the accessories shop and looked to see a large door to his left, saying it's the 'Third District'. He was temped to go through it but it appeared to be locked from the other side. With this being know, he walked around to see a same looking door and assumed it was for another one of the districts. He walked through the large door to enter the second district, which was much larger than the first since it not only had more shops, but a hotel, clocktower, and a fountain. But there was one missing thing; There were no people.

He looked around with his arms crossed. "Where is everyone?" His question answered by seeing a civilian running away but tripped over. "H-Hey! Are you-" The unexpected happened. The person froze into place and a heart-shaped...heart came out of his chest and started floating away but was being pulled into an orb of darkness. The heart combined itself with the darkness and created something new; A small creature wearing a Dark Red and Brown being with Red talons and wore a knight helmet and had a crossed heart on its chest before his disappeared. He stared at what it was. "What...Was that?"

The Dark Brown hedgehog wondered of this but chose to move on and find his friends. First, he entered into the hotel just nearby, but both Tails and Knuckles through the door that also led to the first district.

"He's not here either! You'd think Sonic would give us a clue to where he is!" The Red echidna said.

"He's somewhere, keep looking." Tails said.

The two of them then entered the hotel to look for Jet and Ken, but on the other side of it the Dark Caramel-colored hedgehog exited it at the same time. He couldn't find them in there, so he went up the upper sidewalk that led to an entry for the clocktower and entered through it. But at that very second, the two knights of Knothole went through the same exit the Brown one went through.

The sunshine colored fox rubbed his bangs stressfully. "Not in there either...Man, where is he?"

"Jet! You out there?!" Knuckles yelled. He looked around by nothing came out. "Nothing..."

"Come on. Maybe he's in the clock tower." Tails said as the two Mobians walked in, but at the same time Ken went out from the other side that lead to the top of the tower. It all became a wild goose chase for all of them.

The Dirt-colored animal looked down from where he was and jumped down to enter the alleyway, then looked around to see if there was anywhere for him to check. He saw a door that led to a small house and entered inside of it. Then, once again, Tails and Knuckles were not to far behind, and looked around where they were at.

"Jeez...We're never going to find him like this." The fox said.

The Ruby-Red echidna sighed and rubbed his head. "Man...This is gonna take a while."

At the same time, the keyblade warrior closed the door behind him just to be polite until he was suddenly wacked down onto the ground without a warning.

"OW! THAT HURT!" He yelled. He looked up at the source of it to see it was a human girl. She wore a White-Silver sleeveless top, a Black skirt with a Cyan outline, Arm pieces that worked a bit like long sleeves, long boots, and a Blue tie. But the biggest part of her was her Cyan hair, which also holds two twintails held by a squareish band, and a '01' on her left shoulder. "Uh...Hi there!" He tried getting up but was constantly hit by the girl again with her weapon; A leek. "OW! OW! OW! CALM IT! I'M NOT A BAD GUY!"

She stopped to stare at him. "You are...Not?" She asked in a cybernetic voice attempting English.

"No, I'm not!" He said, rubbing his head. "Sheesh...What was that for?"

She blushed in embarrassment. "I-I'm very sorry. But I was... very nervous and you cannot be too careful."

"You lost your world too then." He asked. She nodded sadly. "I don't blame you then. So, who are you?"

"Hat...Hatsune...Miku. A singer...In...Japan." She said, still trying to perfect her English.

"Hatsune Miku, huh?" The Chocolate-colored hedgehog asked. "And you're a singer in your world. That's...That's really cool! Mind singing some of your work to me? I'd love to hear it!"

She got sad by the thought of it. "I...Cannot." He was a bit sad to hear it. "When my...World went...Boom...So did songs. I grabbed...Many songs...Before it... Boomed. Like friends. But songs are...Gone now. They...Flew away...To other...places."

He understood what she meant. "Oh...You tried getting as many of them as you could but the ones you DID get were scattered. Am I getting it right?" She nodded sadly. He thought about something. "How about this; I'll help get your songs back! I'm on my way to finding my friends, so why not? But if I do this, you owe me a song sung by you!"

She looked up at him with wonder. "You...Will?" He found it a bit cute that she was attempting English since she was probably from somewhere else in her world, but nodded with a smile. Hearing this made her jump and hug him happily, but her intense strength was cutting off his air supply. "Arigato!" He started moving around due to losing his air, which caught the diva's attention and stopped hugging. He breathed heavily to get it back. "S-So sorry."

"It's...It's alright!" He said, just before looking up to her. "Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing happens to them."

"Thank you...Very much!" She said happily.

He gave her a thumbs up and walked out of the house. He decided to get back to finding his friends, but knew now they weren't in the area, and he knew that there was no way into the third district. So, he decided to go into the first district and head back to where Storm was. He was about to enter back into the accessory shop but was blown away with strong wind, knocking the keyblade wielder away and hitting the wall.

"O-OW! He yelled in pain. He slowly slouched down but got up to look around. "Who...Who did that?!"

"They're gonna come after ya out of nowhere." A voice said, with the source of it walking out from one of the edges of the store. The person was a small Green hawk with Cyan eyes, a Yellow beak, and a mohawk that went down his head, along with wearing White gloves, also having Silver rings with a Red piece attached to it, White hair on its chest, Silver goggles on his head, and Red and White shoes with Black arrows on it. His biggest feature was the large fan he holds in his hand. "As long as ya continue to wield that keyblade of yours, they'll just keep on comin'." The hawk stared at him then, with the Dark-Brown hedgehog doing the very same, long before he sighed. "But why? Why did that stupid thing choose you, outta everybody?"

Ken stared at him in question. "What do you even mean by that?"

"What I mean by that, is for you to hand it over!" The Green Mobian said, with his hand ready to grab it, but the Dark Caramel-colored hedgehog summoned his keyblade and prepared it. "Well...Aren't YOU stubborn as a mule!"

"You're NOT getting your hands on this bird brain!" The hedgehog said. By saying this, the hawk stared at him angrily and prepared his large fan.

"Bird brain, huh? Alright then rat boy, have it your way!" He said.

_**Enemy: Unknown Hawk**_

The two Mobians stood there in preparation, ready for anything in case one chose to attack the other. The first move was from Ken, holding his weapon in hands while running at the hawk. He saw this and reacted by swinging the fan toward the Brown weapon wielder, attempting to send him backwards but the keyblade was hurled toward the fan. The two weapons hit and sent the fan backwards a bit, giving the hedgehog the advantage to run toward him with the keyblade appearing in his hand and swung it toward the Leaf-colored hawk. He quickly countered the key-like sword by swiping its wielder in the head, sending it down from the stairs.

"Hey, c'mon! You're the wielder of the keyblade, you outta do better than that if you wanna beat me!" The hawk said while climbing down the stairs. Ken slowly begun to recover but was hit by the fan again, sending him back and the keyblade.

The hedgehog slowly got up again, this time successfully, and looked around to where the keyblade was at. He then looked forward to see the Green animal picking up his weapon while having the fan on his back.

He looked at the weapons owner. "You're pathetic rat boy. How in the world did THIS thing choose you?!" Ken stared at the keyblade and then toward the hawk in anger, not wanting to lose to him. How could he find his friends if he was just going to lose here? He wasn't about to give up. He aimed his hand toward the keyblade with his eyes closed, hoping for it to come to him until it flashed out of the hawks eyes. He looked at his hand then in shock. "What the-?!

The weapon appeared in the hedgehog's hand once again, and ran toward the Moss-Green hawk with his weapon glowing, activating its ability. The Green one notice it and begun countering the weapons attacks with his fan, but there was a large difference now; The Brown one's attacks were now faster than before.

"What...Is this?!" He asked.

"I'm not about to lose to you!" The Chocolate-colored Mobian yelled right before their two weapons clashed. Due to his advanced fighting back of Destiny Islands, he was able to put enough force into the fan after ridding of the weapons powers to send it into the air. The hawk was shocked by what just happened to not react to being slashed on the torso by the keyblade wielder, putting him into an even bigger point of shock and surprise.

The hawk lowed himself down to his knees in pain, while the hedgehog breathed heavily

_**Unknown Hawk: Defeated**_

The keyblade wielder looked up to him with a smirk.

"Y-You see? Look who's..Pathetic..." He said weakly, since he used a majority of his strength on the large counter battle. At that point, he suddenly fell down backwards, knocked out. The hawk only stared at him while getting up.

"Looks like your losing your touch Jet." A female voice, in which Jet looked to see who it was. She was a Purple Swallow with Light Blue eyes and is wearing a White bandanna, top with hair coming out of it, pants with Purple flames on the bottom, large goggles, and Red, White, and Grey shoes while she crossed her arms and smirked.

The Green hawk only shook his head. "Nah, no way. I only went easy on the guy." He looked at Ken. "He wasn't bad, I'll give him that...But I don't things are gonna get better from here on out."

* * *

><p>Something else also happened at the same time, in a world that held a large and dark castle that was far from a large part that held waterfalls going up and multiple pieces of rock. On one of them was EX himself, knocked out. He slowly begun to get up after waking, and started looking around.<p>

"Where...am I?" He asked himself. "K-Ken! Katie! Kathy! Deimos! Nero!"

He looked down since he wasn't given a response, while a being watched him from the distance. The being was an alien-like monster with three Red eyes, two horns on the side of its head, a Brown robe with multiple jewels on a gold chain. It kept watching while silently laughing.


	6. Traverse Town Trouble - Part II

**_Chapter VI: Traverse Town Trouble - Part 2_**

While at the same time, or a little after, both Jet and Ken the Hedgehog fought in the first district. At the same time however, both the Mobians from Knothole walked in an alleyway that was in the back of the hotel.

Tails looked around. "There's nobody here at all. It's like a ghost town around here."

Knuckles decided to try and scare the young one, just like in Hang Castle once upon a time. "Getting scared Tails?"

"What? Of course not! I'm not scared of-" He said until his head was tapped on, scaring him greatly. "G-G-GHOST!" He quickly jumped into the Red echidnas arms out of pure fear, which made him laugh.

"Not scared huh?" He asked.

The sunshine fox blushed in embarrassment. "S-S-Shut up!"

"Excuse me, but did the king send you?" A gentle female voice asked, which caught the two other Mobians attention and looked to see who it was; It was an echidna, just like Knuckles, but was Orange and had Blue eyes instead of Purple, and wore a tribial dress with a White shirt and sandles. She also wore a Gold tiara, Blue wrist rings, and bandages around her quills.

The both of them looked at each other and then at the girl, knowing she wasn't a threat. "Yes." They both said.

"Then you must be them. My name is Tikal. You're looking for Jet, aren't you?" She asked.

* * *

><p>There was nothing but darkness to the Dark-Caramel hedgehog, and that's all there ever was. He wondered, was he dead? Was he asleep? Knocked out? Or was he just in between, a coma?<p>

"Come on, wake up." A familiar female voice said.

He knew he was knocked out now if he heard that. He opened his Dark Blue eyes and lifted himself up tiredly so he could look around, only to see someone that was very familiar; Katie.

"You alright?" She asked. "Those creatures are after your keyblade. They fear not just that, but your heart since your its wielder."

He stared at her in wonder. "R-Really? How do you know about this Katie?"

"Huh? Who's this 'Katie'?" The 'Katie' asked. "Name's Wave." The hedgehog wiped his eyes to see she wasn't there, but was replaced by Wave. She looked behind her. "I think you hit him harder than you think you did Jet."

This questioned the Brown one and looked where she was looking to see Jet having his back against the wall. The sight of him angered him. "You..." He said in anger, then looked at something next to the Leaf-Green hawk; The keyblade. "They keyblade..."

"Yeah, we had to get that thing far away from you to shake off those things. That's how they were tracking you." Wave said while backing away to sit on the table. The hedgehog looked around to see he was in a Green room.

Jet nodded. "Was the only way to do it so it could buy us some time, ya hear?" He sighed. "Still, hard to believe it chose someone like you." He picked up the bladed key in wonder before it disappeared in a flash but reappeared into Ken's hand. "Well, beggars can't be choosers sadly."

"Wait, hold on a second! I have a ton to ask you. What do you mean by 'creatures'? And what's happening here?"

* * *

><p>"...Ok, so you know about there being other worlds, yes?" Tikal asked in a Red Chinese-like room, with both the Red echidna and Yellow fox with her.<p>

They nodded. "Yeah, we do. And nobody's ever suppose to know about it." Tails said.

"It's secret because they were never connected before until now." The Peach-colored echidna said. "When the Heartless came...Everything changed."

"The Heartless? What are those?" Knuckles asked.

* * *

><p>"...Heartless?" Ken asked.<p>

Jet nodded. "Black beings made out of peoples darkness. If your world was destroyed, you must've seen 'em " The keyblade wielder remembered very well of what they were, and what they looked like. He assumed the one with the knight helmet was a Heartless. "They're made outta that and are born without hearts. There's darkness in every heart..." He points at him. "...Even you if you want to believe that or not."

"It's what attracts them." Wave included, then thought about something at that moment. "Ever heard of someone named Rian?"

* * *

><p>"Rian?" The Red echidna asked while rubbing his head.<p>

Tikal nodded to indicate the non-smart mobian was very much right. "He was someone who studied on hearts." Tails then looked at his in a bit of disgust. "...Hearts as in what makes the person. Not an actual one silly." She giggled upon that as the Yellow fox nodded. "But...He recorded all of his findings in his research on a detailed report. But there's a problem..." Hearing this caught their attention. "The pages are either destroyed or scattered."

Their eyes widened now. "SCATTERED OR DESTROYED?!" Tikal nodded sadly. The Ruby-Red echidna then thought of something.

"Maybe Sonic went out to find them?" He asked, which surprise the Sunshine-colored fox since it was one of those very rare moments he said something intellectual. "Maybe we should find him as fast as we can!"

"Wait!" Tails said. "First we have to find that 'key'!"

Tikal nodded with a smile. "Yes, the keyblade."

* * *

><p>The Chocolate-colored hedgehog stared at his weapon now. "So...This is the key, right?"<p>

Jet nodded once again. "They fear it like it's nobody's business. So what better way to get rid of something they fear than destroy it? They'll be after ya, no matter how far ya are." The hedgehog stared at it.

"And it just chose me as a master then?" He asked, with Wave nodding.

"That's exactly it." She said.

"So, tough luck on your part." Jet said nonchalantly.

The hedgehog stared at the keyblade. He knew that this was what he had to deal with; His home, friends, and family were now gone. Destroyed in the darkness. He wasn't sure on what to do to fight off the Heartless, but he knew that they needed to be stopped in some way or another.

He got up and observed it more. "So, is there anything I should know about this thing in terms of power?"

"Well for one, it can unlock any lock that ever existed. That's a plus." Wave said. The Brown Mobian felt somewhat dumb for that. It held the name 'key' in keyblade for a reason, so what other reason would it be called that?

"That, and that keychain on your chain." Jet said. "If you switch it with something else, not only does it give it a new form but also a new ability with it."

Ken nodded. "So like with this one, I can do faster swings but lowered impact in exchange."

"Exactly. And that how you..." The hawk said before gulping. "...Beatin' me..." He sighed sadly knowing this fact, which made the Purple swallow laugh a bit and the Dirt-Brown hedgehog smirk. "Welp, anyway...We might as well meet our friends on the other-"

"Jet!" Wave yelled. Both him and Ken looked to see the helmet wearing heartless, soldier, appear.

The Leaf-Green hawk took out his fan and swept it into the wall, knocking it down. "Wave! Get outta here!" She nodded and ran to the door. On the other side, Tails was about to open the very same door but ended up getting hit against the wall while the Swallow ran through.

"Wave!" Tikal yelled in concern and followed her.

Jet prepared his fan while the keyblade master prepared his weapon. "Alright hedgehog, let's go!" He swept it again to break the glass on the window and the two of them jumped through it to get to behind the hotel. When the two Mobians both landed, Soldiers and Shadows appeared. They prepared their weapons and blew and slashed them to make them no longer and issue. "Listen to what I gotta say. If we find the main Heartless, a good chunk of them will be goners!"

"Where do you think it'll be though?"

"I'm guessin' district three! Get goin' and see!" The Green hawk said before looking at the wielder. "You know your way around here, right?!" Ken nodded and ran off, to the entry for district two so he could get to three.

Meanwhile in the Red room, the Red echidna stared at the door Tails was smashed in. He opened the door to see him flat as paper just like in a cartoon, and floated down to the ground. He grabbed the flat fox and quickly adjusted him back to being normal.

"Ow...Why is it always me?" He asked. He looked to see nobody there. "Knuckles, come on! We have to find that key!" They both quickly ran out of the hotel and planned to find wherever Ken was.

At the same time, the Brown hedgehog ran through an alleyway that led to a door that said 'Third District', but it was locked. He wondered on how he could get through it but then saw a large keyhole on the end. He summoned his chosen weapon and tried figuring out on how to open it until suddenly forced itself toward the lock. This left him in question until it shot a light from the tip to the opening, hearing a lock unlock.

He stared at it in amazement. "You just keep surprising me more and more." He opened the door and entered into the next district, which was much smaller since it held a house, fountain and the entry to the first district. He jumped over the edge of one the stairs while above him, the two Knothole knights looked around to find him.

The Red echidna kept looking until he heard something appear behind both him and Tails, seeing soldiers. They prepared their weapons in response.

"Are these the heartless?" Knuckles asked.

"I dunno, but let's teach them a lesson!"

And for some unknown reason, they were blasted away by fire, sending them into the air while screaming. The Brown hedgehog looked up to see the two.

"HOLY!" He yelled in shock and was about to run away, but they landed on top of him. "Ow...My back!"

The three Mobians were dazed by what just happened, wondering what even occurred to begin with. Both the fox and echidna recovered long before the hedgehog could to see the weapon in his possession.

"It's the key!" They both said with a smile.

"Y-Yeah! It is! So...HOW ABOUT GETTING OFF ME?!" The Brown one asked. They both realized they were on top of him and got off to let him up. "Thank you."

At that point, the district begun shaking. "What's happening?!" Tails asked. His question was answered when all the entries of the third were blocked off by platforms rising from the ground. They looked around until pieces fell from the sky. Pieces that held the colors of Light and Dark purple, but slowly formed together to reveal a floating body that has a knight helmet on, and with arms and feet that levitated, and held a crossed Black heart on the chest; Guard Armor. "What is that?!"

The echidna prepared his shield. "I have NO idea, but it's not gonna let us pass!"

**_Enemy: Guard Armor_**

The Guard Armor's arms then begun to spin, making the team of three dodge it as best as they could but the guarding echidna blocked them with his shield. At a quick moment, he pushed one of the arms away and swung his shield at the other, stunning it.

The fox looks at the other two. "Destroy them! That way he won't have much to work with!" He took out his staff and made it glow Yellow. "Thunder!" He shot lightning from his staff and hit one of the arms, turning it into dust.

"Whoa!" Ken yelled. "Are you some sort of mage or something?"

"Mage of Knothole, thank you very much!" The fox said with a smile while the other arm slowly started moving again and started charging toward them. "Watch out!"

The Brown hedgehog quickly took notice and charged toward him so he could attack, but its overwhelming power knocked him back. He recovered by flipping while Knuckles threw he shield from under the hedgehog's feet, catching his attention.

He gave him a thumbs up. "Thank you!" He jumped off the shield to help him gain a bit of speed and slashed through the last of Guard Armor's arms. He landed on the ground, and then turned to run at the legs alongside the Ruby-Red echidna on the other side. With both of their weapons, they were able to destroy one of the legs but ended up getting kicked by the last one. "Fox! Do something!"

"On it!" Tails yelled as his staff glowed Blue. "Blizzard!" He shot out ice from his plastic staff toward the giants legs, making it stop. "There, now go!" Both of the offensive wielding fighters then charged at the leg and destroyed it by the brutal forces. All that was left was its body that needed to be disposed of. They were about to strike it but the body suddenly spun quickly, knocking the defender and blade wielder away.

The Dark-Caramel colored hedgehog then wondered on what he could do to stop it. He looked at Knuckle's shield, and then remembered Tail's magic. He had an idea in mind now.

"Guys, I've got an idea!" He said, catching their attention. "Fox, you strike lightning on his shield, then have the echidna throw it to stun him. Once he is, I'll go in for the kill!" The Red Mobian stared dumfounded, but finally got it.

"It's worth a shot!" The Yellow fox said before he casted the Thunder spell on his shield, which made the Knothole Guardian smile smugly and threw it at the body of the armor. Once it hit, it caused the body to be paralyzed. "Now!"

The Dark-Brown keybearer then prepared his chosen weapon and ran to the heartless. "It's over!" He did a quick swipe at it, causing a light slash to come out of the armor and start shaking rapidly before a large Blue heart came out of it. The heart flew away while the armor faded away, giving them Mobians their victory.

**_Guard Armor: Defeated_**

After the armor was defeated. Both the Sunshine-colored fox and Ruby-Red echidna explained their mission from their king, the worlds, and everything else to the keyblade master.

"...So let me get this straight." Ken said. "You're looking for me by your king, and your also from another world. Am I getting this right?" They both nodded.

"They're lookin' for the keyblade as well." A voice said, making them look to see Jet, Wave, and Tikal. "If you're really set on findin' your pals, you outta go with them.

Knuckles then thought of something. "Hey yeah, how about you come with us? We can go to other worlds on that...Uh...Plane! Yeah!" The Hazel hedgehog thought about it for a bit.

"...If I did, would I find my friends EX, Katie, and everyone else in my home?" He asked.

"Of course we would!" Tails said, but both him and Knuckles grouped together.

"You sure about that?" The Knothole Guardian asked.

"No, I'm not. There's a chance. I want him to find his friends, but right now we need him to find Sonic." The Yellow fox said, then both looked at him, for he had the expression as before and listened to none of what they said. "Well, what do you say?"

The keyblade wielder thought about it. Would he find his friends if he did come with these two? People he didn't know? If there was a chance, he had to take it. He made up his mind and nodded. "Yeah, I'll go with you guys!"

"Alright, so its settled!" Tails said, putting his hand out. "I'm Miles Prower, but people call me Tails!"

"Knuckles." He said simpily, doing the same thing the mage did.

"And I'm Ken." He said, with the three of them putting their hands on top of each others.

"All for one, and one for all!" They all yelled with a smile on their faces, forming their group.

* * *

><p>Inside an unknown place filled with darkness, showed a large group of sinister figures watching a light in the center. One of them was a human man with slick Black hair going back, and only wore Black fingerless gloves and a White Gi pants with flames on it.<p>

"So, the young hedgehog took that heartless down." He said, revealing to be Kazuya Mishima. "I'm surprised. He's bypassed my expectations."

Next to Kazuya was a Green skinned man with Orange hair a pointy nose wearing rusty looking armor with tibial accessories on him, and a Orange gem on his forehead. This being was Ganondorf.

"A good addition to the power of the keyblade. That is not the young ones true power." He said. Another one next to him was a covered man wearing a Black cape and hat, with the only revealing feature being his eyes. This one was Mr Dark.

"Well then, why don't we turn him into a heartless like the lums?" Mr Dark asked. "It's much more easier than just sending some in to finish the job." Next to Mr Dark was a small alien-like man with Black hair and full Blue eyes while also wearing a Brown suit with a Teal shirt and Tan tie. This one was Chairmen Drek.

"But the keyblade wielders friends are also the kings little friends. Either way, they're all the same. The same for destroying them." He said.

"You're not much better yourself!" A deep voice said, showing that it was large Koopa with Orange hair, chains on his wrists and neck, and has a spiked shell. It was Bowser of the Koopa Clan.

"Enough!" A dark voice said, silencing them. The source of it walked toward the light showing Ken, Tails, and Knuckles. The being seeing this, and was also watching EX, was Black Doom. "The weapon has chosen him, and him only. The question to it is...Will he be swallowed by the darkness, or will conquer it with his new powers? Regardless...He is useful to us." He laughed darkly, and watched with the rest of them.


	7. Crashing the Party - Part I

_**Chapter: VII - "Crash"ing the Party - Part I**_

After the three heroes defeated the Guard Armor in the third district of Traverse Town, they were now officially together and now prepare to find Sonic.

The Brown furred keyblade wielder listened to all of what the two Knothole knights said. "...And there's this thing to take us new worlds called the X Tornado, huh?"

"Built it myself!" Tails said.

"Really, first a mage and a builder. Never would have thought it. Anyway...Anything to help me get prepared for all this?"

The Red echidna thought about it, but remembered something. "Oh yeah! Tails! What about that thing?" The sunshine-colored fox was confused. "You know!" He remembered it. To Tails, that's surprising.

"Oh yeah! Thanks Knuckles!" He said while reaching into his backpack and took out an Orange flaming orb engulfed with flames. "Take it. It won't hurt you by ANY means."

Ken wondered about it, if he should grab it or not. However, he threw those thoughts away and grabbed it, but like the fox said, it didn't hurt him. Instead, it absorbed into him and engulfed him into flames momentarily before it disappeared.

He stared at himself in wonder. "What...Was that?"

"I lend you some of my magic. It'll take me a while to recover my Fire magic, but it's the one I least use." The Yellow fox said with a smile. "This way, you'll be able to learn magic alongside me."

"Magic huh?" He looked at the keyblade. "Well...Alright then."

"Anyway, we should get going to the first world." Knuckles said. "Did they find one yet?"

The small fox shook his head. "Hang on." He took out a small gadget from his backpack and started looking through it. "Gamma and Omega only found one so far. I think they'll find more as we keep going."

"Alright, then we should head out then. The sooner the better." The Hazel one said.

The three of them went toward the exit of Traverse so they could get to their means of transportation. Meanwhile, the Green hawk watched them.

He smirked. "Good luck ya bozos. We're countin' on ya."

* * *

><p>The Bright Yellow fox flew the X Tornado through space, heading to one of the worlds the Knothole engineers found. At the same time, the Dirt-Brown hedgehog stared at space in awe.<p>

_"Wow...This looks...Amazing."_ He thought. But by seeing the large space, he knew that they could be anywhere. At what would could his best friend and the girl he loves be? Would he see them again? Nobody really knew the answer to that question, nor did he. If there was anyway to find him, the two other Mobians with him was his best bet.

"Looks like we found it!" Tails yelled, which caught their attention. They all looked to see a large piece of land that was much like an island.

The sight of the island caught the keyblade masters attention and stared at it. "Hang on a second! Could...Could that be-" He felt determined. "Let's land this thing. I wanna see this for myself."

"Just cause you're holding the keyblade doesn't mean that you give us orders." The Yellow fox said in a bit of annoyance. "We're landing because I say so." He started flying toward it so they could land.

* * *

><p>The three Mobians walked in this new world. It was a large island that held a small beach with tikis in the water, palm trees, and a small Red house in the distance.<p>

"Was this the place you were expecting?" Knuckles asked.

The Dark-Caramel hedgehog shook his head and sighed. "No, this isn't it. I saw it was an island and I thought...Thought it was my home, Destiny Island." He rubbed his quills sadly. "Oh well...Guess it was worth hoping for." They all then looked around the area. "Where are we anyway?"

"Let me check." Tails said as he checked his gadget. "It says we're in a place called 'Wumpa Island'. So...You're not really to far off."

"Well then, let's take a look around-" Ken said right before he noticed to figures running; One being a large muscular tiger wearing a Green drape only, another being a tall mouse wearing a Red suit and tie with a Green shirt under it, and a combination of a Kangeroo and a Crocodile wearing only Blue pants and a flamethrower. Seeing them caught his interest.

"What is it?" The sunshine-colored fox asked as he took notice of them.

The keyblade master crossed his arms. "Those guys. It's like they're heading somewhere or something. I bet its something big." He got an idea. "Maybe we should check it out."

"You're not-" Tails said right before Ken ran off to follow them. "H-Hey! Wait!" He and the Ruby-Red echidna ran to follow him, hoping to not have him hurt.

**_X-Wumpa Island-X_**

The three heroes ran to follow the other three mysterious foes. The legendary weapon wielder thought that they could be behind something evil, so wouldn't it make sense to stop them when something like the Heartless ran loose? Right? Right. The villains made a sudden right turn into the Jungle portion of the island, but the heroes were a second late and didn't find them.

"Where did they go?" The Brown one asked.

Knuckles looked around. "Maybe...Maybe they disappeared! Maybe they're ghosts!"

That sounded rather silly. Then again, the hedgehog was also holding a sword that resembled much like a key, so who was he kidding? Though it could be a possibility. "Then where could they-" Just when he was about to ask, heartless came but in new forms; The new ones now were small Blue and Purple monkeys with Yellow glowing eyes, and a crossed heart on the chest. In response of seeing them, they all either took out or summoned their weapons.

"These are new!" Tails said.

At that moment, the new heartless, Powerwilds, charged at the on all fours. The Mobians saw them doing this and countered by swinging their weapons to knock them backwards, but those monkeys quickly recovered and ran back.

The Echidna guardian scoffed. "Sheesh, they're persistent, aren't they?!" He swung his shield at one of them to knock it down and blast in darkness with a heart flying away freely. They all prepared themselves to attack once again until they all heard someone screaming in the sky, making them look to see it's someone. Someone...Odd looking.

"LOOK OUT!" The keyblade wielder said as they all jumped out of the way to leave the being slamming into and through the ground. In a quick instant, the being jumped out from it and spun into the powerwilds, destroying them. At that point they finally looked to see what the being fully looked like; It was an Orange bandicoot with large Green eyes, a Reddish mohawk, and wore Blue jeans, Red sneakers, and Brown fingerless fingers.

"Whoa...Who is he?" Knuckles asked.

The Brown hedgehog walked over to the bandicoot. "Hiya, are you ok?" The Orange animal only picked his ear. "Uh...My name's Ken. And this is Knuckles and Tails." He pointed to them. "What's your name?" The bandicoot still didn't respond. "Uh...Can you talk?"

"No, he's doesn't." A voice said. They looked to see the source of it was a piece of floating wood with a face, four feathers on the top, and a Green goatee. "My name is Aku-Aku, and this is Crash." He looked at the group, but most importantly the Brown key wielder. "Hamon? Is that you?"

"Hamon? Who's he?" Ken asked. "My name's Ken."

The floating masks eyes widen. "Oh, I apologize. It's just that you look so much like him." He looks at Crash. "Anyway, I'm sorry he surprised you all. But we were on our way to help someone."

"Help someone?" The Red echidna asked.

"Yes, Crash's sister Coco. She was kidnapped by our enemy; Neo Cortex."

The Brown hedgehog then crossed his arms in thought. "Kidnapped, huh?" He then remembered the three figures running, figuring something out. "Maybe those guys running were heading to where this Cortex guy went."

"Really?" Aku-Aku asked. "What did they look like?"

"A rat, tiger, and a kangaroo-like croc."

"Pinstripe, Tiny, and Dingodile. I should have known they would also be behind it." The mask said. "I believe if they were together, they would be going to the same place as always."

The Brown one turned to his other comrades. "I think we should help them."

"We can't. If we do, we would be messing around in world affairs." The sunshined-colored fox said. "I don't want to leave them like this, but it's-"

"I get it, but we'd be doing these guys a HUGE favor." Ken said. "C'mon...They'd do it if it was you."

The Red guardian looked at Tails, who was in thought. He was somewhat right. "So?"

"Alright, we'll help." He said. This made the keyblade wielder smile and look at the floating mask.

"We're in." He said.

"Very good. Follow me. I know the way." Aku-Aku said as he led the four to where Cortex could be.

* * *

><p>The five heroes made their way through the entirety of Wumpa Island and entered through a large factory that was filled with 'N's. This could mean that this 'Cortex' was very close. They walked through the parts of the factory to see the three villians gathered in front of something.<p>

This caught the guardians attention. "What are they doing? Are they having a party?!"

"No, far from it." The mask said. They all then noticed that the villians were looking at; A Orange female bandicoot with Blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, and is wearing a White shirt with overalls and Pink shoes inside a large cage. "And that's Coco!" Crash noticed with wide eyes and tried running to her but was held back by the keyblade master and Knuckles.

"Crash, quiet! We can't get caught here!" Ken said quietly so they wouldn't get caught. At the same time, a small Yellow man with Black hair on the sides going to the side and a bit on the top, a White scientist coat, Yellow gloves and Boots, and what is the biggest part of him that sticks out was the Black 'N' on his forehead.

"That's him." Aku-Aku said.

Cortex paced around the Orange bandicoot. "Well, well, well..." He put his hands together with a smile. "It took such a long time to capture you, but it was all worth it!" He looked at her now. "I know of what you've done."

"D-Done what?!" She asked.

"Like you don't know! You must have made those Black things destroy my creations!" Neo said, starting to pretend cry. "Oh my poor machines! How they ever hurt you so!" He started crying like a baby, then turned serious again like it never happened. "I know you did it! Nobody else would!"

"Like heck I did!" She said.

The small scientist growled. "Don't lie! I hate people who lie!" He then had an idea. "Well then...If you won't talk freely..." He took out a small mechanical gun and aimed it at her. "Or you'll be my newest slave with my newest creation!"

Hearing that made both the bandicoot and hedgehog's anger rise. "Not if we're around!" They both ran toward them, which caught their attention.

"Crash!" Coco yelled. Ken summoned out his keyblade, which he calls the Kingdom Key, and shoots a ray of light toward the lock of the cage. Doing so unlocked the cage and set the female bandicoot free.

"Go! Get somewhere safe!" He yelled, with Coco jumping off an got behind a barrel for cover.

The sight of this angered Neo. "You lousy bandicoot, and his stupid friends!" The three villians with him prepared themselves.

"We're not gonna let that pesky bandicoot get in your way boss!" Pinstripe said, preparing him tommy gun until a rumble shook the area. To Neo, he knew who it was.

"COTREX! YOU'VE FAILED ME AGAIN!" A rageful voice yelled, which also shocked Aku-Aku.

He shook himself in disbelief. "No...It can't be..." At the same time, a Red flashed suddenly appeared. The creator of it was a mask much like Aku-Aku, but was darker in color, had bones attached on the left, right, and top of it, and had a Orange beard. Seeing it shocked the good mask and the bandicoot. "...Uka-Uka!"

"Who?!" Tails asked.

"My evil twin brother! How did he-"

"You should know I'd return my brother!" Uka-Uka said, then looked at the scientist in anger. "Cortex! I ordered you to eliminate the bandicoot!" The small one only shook in fear, making the mask angry. "Very well, I'll handle him myself!"

It was at that moment, the evil mask then charged and attached itself to Pinstripe. Doing this made the large rat glow Red, and prepared his tommy gun.

_**Enemy: Uka-Uka**_

"He's controlling him! Stop Uka-Uka from controlling anyone!" The good-filled mask said.

The Red echidna looked at him in wonder. "How do we do that?!"

"Knock it off of him and take down anyone he can control!"

"Yeah, I can go with that!" The keyblade wielder said with a smirk. He was about to rush toward the possessed rat but started shooting bullets at him, making the Hazel hedgehog activate his Kingdom Key's ability and twirled it, but due to his ability he was able to do it quicker. While both Knuckles and Tails dealt with Tiny and Crash with Dingodile, he was left with the shooting rat. Out of all of them, why did he have to deal with him. The hedgehog tried getting to Pinstripe while twirling and moving toward him but the evil mask on him prevented him from doing so by powering up his bullets.

He was unsure on what to do at this rate if he wasn't going anywhere. The Dark-Caramel animal looked around to find something he could use, but his attention was put onto Dingodile's fire coming out of his flamethrower. At that point he remembered something.

_"I lend you some of my magic. It'll take me a while to recover my Fire magic, but it's the one I least use."  
><em>  
>He remembered his Fire magic, but now wondered on how to use it. He tested something by quickly dodge rolling to the side and aimed the Kingdom Key toward the rate. He started by believing and thinking of fire, thinking it was a good way to start, but something happened; A fireball shot out of the tip of his bladed key and hit Uka-Uka, but also knocking down Pinstripe out of the control.<p>

Doing this made the hedgehog smirk. "Crash! Get over here!" The Orange bandicoot immediately stopped what he was doing to look at him. "Wanna beat up the bad guy?" Hearing that made the hero of the island smile widely and nod. He quickly ran over, leaving Dingodile alone and chasing him. "Someone deal with the coco-guy!"

The knothole mage looked and nodded. "I've got it!" He quickly shot a Blizzard at the hybrid to slow him down, then shot him with Thunder to shock him. Dingodile shook greatly by the shock and ended up fried. So fried, you might as well make him a full cooked meal of fresh dingodile. He fell over to the ground unconscious while Ken gave Crash the tip of the chosen blade.

"Wanna go for a ride?" The Dirt-Brown hedgehog asked. The Bandicoot smiled and nodded quickly and grabbed it, but did something completely different; He quickly spun while holding the tip and laughing, making the wielder scream in fear. "This. Is. Not. What. I. Had. In. MIND!" The psychotic bandicoot then threw him away, leaving the hedgehog flying but was near Uka-Uka. He took this chance and slammed it onto Pinstripe's head, knocking him out.

At the same time, Knuckles dealt with Tiny with his shield. The guardian tried to push the large tiger's strength back, but was starting to get overwhelmed by him. In a sudden burst of strength, he showed the anthro tiger why he was given the role of a guardian, and pushed the shield into his face. The Orange tiger was stunned by this, and the evil mask made its way to him. The Red one saw this and grabbed him quickly, which put the evil one to a stop.

"Un-UNHAND ME THE INSTANT!" The dark witch doctor mask yelled.

Knuckles smiled by hearing that while Tiny got up, but the echidna then hit the tiger in the head with his shoulder, knocking him out.

**_Uka-Uka: Defeated_**

The keyblade master sighed a bit in weakness then looked at the mask. "Sorry little guy, but it's over." Aku-Aku roamed around his twin brother with a smile.

"It looks like evil truly doesn't pay, now does it Uka-Uka?" He asked before looking at where Coco hid. "Coco, you can come out now! It's safe." There was no response.

"Hey Coco! It's ok!" Tails yelled while Crash walked over to the barrel she was hiding behind, but seeing something behind it shocked him and made him accidentally knock the barrel down; Coco was gone.


	8. Crashing the Party - Part II

**_Chapter VIII: "Crash"ing the Party - Part 2_**

The keyblade master sighed a bit in weakness then looked at the mask. "Sorry little guy, but it's over." Aku-Aku roamed around his twin brother with a smile.

"It looks like evil truly doesn't pay, now does it Uka-Uka?" He asked before looking at where Coco hid. "Coco, you can come out now! It's safe." There was no response.

"Hey Coco! It's ok!" Tails yelled while Crash walked over to the barrel she was hiding behind, but seeing something behind it shocked him and made him accidentally knock the barrel down; Coco was gone. "W-What?! She's gone!" They all looked in shock.

"Where has she gone then?" The good-filled mask asked. See how that rhymed? They all looked at Cortex now, who held his raygun-like weapon in hand. "Cortex, what have you done?!"

The Brown hedgehog nodded in anger, with his bandicoot ally staring in anger. "Yeah! You MUST have did something with her!"

The scientist shook his head. "O-Of course not! I never layed a single finger on her since Uka-Uka came! Promise!"

"Is that right?" Ken asked, then observed Cortex. From the look in his eyes, it seemed like he was telling the truth. He nodded and rid of the keyblade. "Alright, I believe you for now. You better not lie to us."

"Well if Cortex didn't take her, then who did?" Aku-Aku asked.

The three heroes then started thinking, not Knuckles by much, but still. They thought of something. "The Heartless!" They all yelled.

"Those things from before, you know? Maybe THEY got her!" The sunshine-colored fox said.

The keyblade master nodded. "Well, we don't have any time to waste! Let's find her!" They all nodded and left, leaving the listening scientist and Uka-Uka after the Red echidna dropped him.

The evil mask roamed around Cortex. "Did you hear of this Cortex? This 'Heartless' seems more than enough to defeat that bandicoot! You know what you must do." He started laughing evilly, making the small scientist smile darkly.

* * *

><p>The three heroes and two residents of Wumpa Island ran back to where they were before to find Coco if she truly was taken by the heartless.<p>

Crash looked around in worry, concerned for her sister, and sighed. Aku-Aku took notice of this. "Don't worry Crash, we'll find her soon."

"But where though? She could be anywhere, maybe even under us!" The Red echidna said. Just when he said that, a large Black smudge appeared below them and quickly came out in front of the heroes. He just had to jinx it, didn't he?"

Tails looks at him in anger. "You just HAD to say it, didn't you?"

The smudge then started forming into a large giant resembling a bandicoot with claws and having a crossed heart on it. But that wasn't what caught their attention the most, but it was Coco inside it.

"Aku-Aku! Crash! Help me!" She yelled in a echo through it, but the darkness solidified. Seeing this made the bandicoot shocked and angry, with the three Mobians preparing and taking out their weapons.

"Don't worry Crash, we'll get her back!" The Dirt-Brown hedgehog said just before a laser shot the large Heartless, surprising everyone and looked behind to see who it was; It was Cortex with his gun in hand. "Cortex!"

"You think I didn't hear about this 'Heartless ordeal, did you? With this, I'll destroy that pesky bandicoot!" He said. "Come and fight your other; Shadow Bandicoot!"

_**Enemy: Shadow Bandicoot**_

The keyblade master groaned by the sound of it. "Shadow Bandicoot? SERIOUSLY? You couldn't think of a better name than-" He was suddenly hit by the Heartless bandicoot, knocking him away. "Ow...Point...Taken!"

The hedgehog quickly got up and started attacking the large heartless alongside the others, but the large Black monster swung its arm again to attack. Knuckles tried to block one of the attacks with his brute strength and hold the large arm, but it sent the Red one backwards. Meanwhile, Ken used his Kingdom Key ability to quickly attack in exchange for lower strength. He was able to slash the large bandicoot-formed shadow with the time he got but he too was sent back alongside the Orange bandicoot and the Yellow fox. The Brown hedgehog was sent back far enough to have his feet land on his guardian friend's shield.

"Now it's my turn!" He yelled. He quickly jumped off and toward the large shadow to quickly slash through its arm, making it burst into multiple splotches of Black onto the ground and create small Shadows. He looked around now to find Crash. "Crash!" The non-smart animal looked at him. "Look! Small little Black monsters! And they wanna play with you!" Hearing that made the Orange one smile widely, twist his body, and quickly spin toward the shadows to destroy them. While spinning, the Brown hedgehog then grabbed the bandicoots hand gripped it. "Let's do it!"

The Orange one nodded quickly and happily while cheering before he started spinning around while holding the key warriors hand. While it may have caused him to be a bit dizzy, the wielder reached his weapon out to attack anyone in range quickly, with the Shadow Bandicoot getting hit being proof of it. Attacking so quickly and powerfully started making the evil bandicoot short work by the amount of slashes and knocking down its other arm.

The psycho bandicoot then threw the keyblade master into the air while still spinning and destroying the new shadows formed by the fallen arm. Ken quickly recovered and aimed his blade in the middle of the spinning Orange bandicoot, then taking control of the direction of spinning.

"Come on you lousy bandicoot! Win and defeat Crash!" Neo yelled in anger.

The Shadow Bandicoot then formed small arms from its body and tried stopping the duo doing their powerful spin attack. Doing this caused some energy sparks to come out, but there was suddenly a spark of Thunder striking the arms one by one, indicating it was Tails doing the attack onto it. At the same time, Knuckles then came back into the battle and started spinning himself with his shield alongside with Crash. The large dark bandicoot then started to become overwhelmed just before it was sent into the air by the final blow from the Orange island hero.

The bladed hero smirked. "This is IT!" Crash grabbed the keyblade for him to spin and throw with its wielder still holding it. Once he was near the Heartless bandicoot, he slashed it with his keyed sword to cause a light slash to come out of it and explode into dark splashes. Doing so not only made a heart float up, but also released Coco from her dark prison. "Yes! We did it!"

Ken then gave the Orange bandicoot his fist, which made him curious.

"You hit your fist on mine." The Brown one explained. The bandicoot then finally got it and hit his fist onto the hedgehogs, signifying the battle is now an end.

**_Shadow Bandicoot: Defeated_**

The female bandicoot looked around in worry before falling down. "Someone help me!" Her Orange brother saw this and caught her the moment she was about to fall. She smiled as he put her down and they both hugged lovingly while the heroes watched them with a smile, then looked at where Cortex was to see him shaking with his gun pointed at the Brown hedgehog.

"You! You're a rather interesting one, even more that the bandicoot himself!" He said. "I think you're going to be my newest experiment!"

The Dark-Caramel then crossed his arms and sighed. "Don't count on it." Behind the scientist was Crash with an evil and devious smile on him, then suddenly spun to send him flying away into the air while screaming like a girl.

"AAAH! I'LL GET YOU YET CRASH BANDICOOOOT!" He yelled while also crashing through one of the large tiki.

The Yellow fox stared in wonder by the distance the scientist covered. "Well then, that's a good way to get rid of him." They all stared at where he went, then at the broken tiki, for it started to form something. "What, is that?"

They all gathered around to see what was on the tiki, seeing a keyhole formed. At that point, the Kingdom Key then appeared into its wielders hand and aimed itself toward the mysterious object and shot a laser of light at it, with it making a locking sounder later before it faded away.

This questioned the Chocolate-colored hedgehog. "What...Was that? Sounded like something locked." Something came out of the tiki and came to the shore, with the female bandicoot picking it up.

"What is this? I've...I've never seen anything like this." She said. They all walked to it and observed it.

"That's...That's a piece for the X Tornado!" Tails said before he grabbed it for himself. "If it's ok...Can I keep it?"

Coco smiled and noded. "Of course. If it's for something of yours." Both her and the fox smiled at each other while the bladed warrior stared at the tiki, wondering on what that keyhole was.

"Hey Ken, we're about to head off." The Red echidna said, making the Brown one look at him.

"You three are leaving now?" Aku-Aku asked. They nodded. "I see. Well then, I hope your journey goes well. And thank you three again for your help. If not for you, we never would have saved Coco." She smiled in gratitude for the three, then he stared at the keyblade master more. "...You. I just can't help it. You look so much like Hamon."

"What does he look like?"

"Much like you, except the glasses." The mask said. Looked like him, without the glasses. Did he mean a family member of his? His parents that he never once met before?

He shrugged. "If I ever do meet him, I'll let you know."

The female bandicoot remembered something. "Oh yeah! I found these a while back and I just thought maybe they were yours?" She reached into her pockets and took something out; Sheets of music. Twelve of them to be exact.

"That's some of Miku's music!" He said before taking them of himself, leaving the two Knothole warriors in question of who it is. "She'll be happy to see this." He looked at everyone else in the area of Wumpa Island. "Well guys, I'll see you when I can!"

"Of course. You are welcome here anytime you wish." Aku-Aku said with a smile. "I hope for you a safe journey."

They nodded but Crash too gave the Brown hedgehog something; His fist for a fist bump. He smiled and gave him the very same, making the bandicoot smile, for it was their way of bonding now. Tails and Knuckles then grabbed the hedgehog by the shoulder and teleported out of the area in a flash, leaving their new friends with a smile.

* * *

><p>The heroes reappeared in the X Tornado, with Tails in the front now and started flying away. While on the move, they all watched as they got farther away from the island.<p>

"...You know, he wasn't that bad of a guy." Ken said with a smile to himself, then looked forward to their next world.


	9. Fighting for your Life - Part I

**_Chapter IX: Fight for your Life - Part I (Part II will come at a later time. This world will be revisited later on for the second/last part.)_**

It's been a while since the three heroes visited Wumpa Island, and they were heading to the next world that was on their list that was available with the thanks of Gamma and Omega.

The hedgehog keyblade wielder looked into the darkness of space so he could see if there were any new world they might have passed until they all saw something with the thanks of the X Tornado; A Large set of land filled with large buildings but also held a large arena in the middle. "Whoa...Which world is that?" He asked.

"I don't know. Let me check." The Yellow two-tailed fox said as he checked on a radar of sorts on the X Tornado. "It's called 'King of the Iron Fist'."

"Sounds like a place where a lot of people fight." Knuckles said.

"That's actually what this place is. A tournament is always held in this world, where fighters across the 'globe' fight for a competition." Tails explained. A place where fighters gathered to fight each other? That sounded interesting to the Dark Caramel-colored hedgehog. "It's also being led by some guy named...Kazuya Mishima."

Something about that name didn't seem to fit right with Ken. "Something about that name doesn't seem right with me. How about we land here? See if one of those things back in Wumpa Island are there too."

"Right ahead of you." The little Yellow fox said as he flew down to the new world.

* * *

><p><span><strong><em>X-King of the Iron Fist-X<em>**

The three heroes flashed in a bright light onto a sidewalk, seeing they were in a city filled with multiple people heading toward something; A large coliseum that was filled with multiple lights and large walls.

"I bet that's where this Kazuya guy is." The Yellow Mobian said. He looked at them to see that the keyblade wielder stared at the area in awe.

"This place...It's so large. I've never seen something like this before..." He said while looking around. "And just think about it. All of the fighters all around gathering into a place like this? I mean, you've GOT to want to come over here."

The Red echidna nodded. "I'll say. You'd want to knock some heads together, ya know?"

"That's why you wanted to be here. Just to beat some people up." The Knothole mage said in annoyance.

"Partially!" The Brown hedgehog said. "Come on, let's at least TRY it. At the very least we can watch!" At the same time, Knuckles was suddenly hit in the face by a flying paper by the wind. He muffled loudly and started freaking out, which caught their attention and only sweatdropped by the sight of it. "Alright knuckle-head, come on." He pulled the paper out, along with the Red guardian getting angry by him being called that.

"I am NOT a knuckle-head! Don't call me that!" He said in anger.

Both Ken and Tails laughed at it just before the keyblade master looked at it, which surprised him. "Tails?" He asked, then showing the both of them what was on it; The tournament everyone was going to and only one of the four contestants would fight the champion, Kazuya Mishima. "...Looks like we're participating in the tournament."

* * *

><p>"What do you mean we can't enter?!" Ken asked in anger. They were inside the lobby to register for the tournament, which was a large office that led to the ring and a locker room-like area, with a man in a suit behind the desk.<p>

The man smoked a cigar. "Sorry kidos, or...Whatever you guys are. If you're gonna get in as a group, you'll need a very SPECIAL pass for it."

"What kinda pass? A hall pass?" The Red echidna asked.

Hearing this made the suited worker face palm. How stupid could he really be? "No. I mean a pass that allows you to come in as a three. So that means, if you don't have a pass, ya can't get in. So, let me just say this in just one simple word." He put down his glasses to look at the three. "Get. Out."

This shocked them. "But that's crazy!" The Yellow fox said, while Knuckles started counting with his fingers.

"Yeah! That's two words!" He said. They all sweatdropped again. He really must be that dumb, but at least he knew on how to count.

"Anyway...Isn't there some way we can get in?" The Dark-Chocolate asked. At the very same time, a figure watched behind one of the doors with a smile, then walked toward the man behind the desk.

"Is there a problem?" The person, now considered a male, asked.

They all looked to see the one holding the tournement; Kazuya Mishima. "M-Mr Mishima!" The suited man said. "Y-Yes, there is! These three want to enter the King of the Iron Fist tournement, but they don't have a-"

"Pass?" Kazuya asked.

"Y-Yes sir!"

"Well then...That can be arranged easily, can it?"

The Black haired fighter took something out from the pockets of his White pants; A Bright Red pass.

The heroes stared at it, then looked at the fighter in suspicion. "I don't know...What's the catch?" The hedgehog asked.

"No catch. You seem you wish to enter. I feel rather...Humble let you three in." Kazuya said before handing it to him. "I hope to see you three in the finals." He then walked back into the hallway, leaving them.

"I-I apologize for such a problem." The man said. "Y-You may enter."

They smiled upon hearing that and started their way to the hallway, but something caught the hedgehog's attention and looked back. Behind them, who was someone walking in the same direction, was a Jet Black hedgehog, just like him. The only difference was side quills were straight up, having all of them have Red highlights, on the side of his eyes, wrists and ankles, Red eyes, White hair on his chest, and also wore Red sportstape on his right arm and a Brown cloth for a cape. He stared at the Black hedgehog, who stared back, but their stares disappeared and they both kept going their way.

* * *

><p>Inside the locker room held the heroes waiting for their turn to start on a battle while watching on a screen of the battle going on right now. A woman with Black hair wearing a White sleeveless shirt and pants with Black bird markings on it, against a man with Black hair on the sides sticking upward, hair on his upper lip only, and wore a Black bottom part of a gi and held sportstape on his fists.<p>

Ken watched them in amazement. "Wow, just look at them go. They're going all out."

"Tell me about it. They're really in it to win it." The Yellow fox said.

On the other side of the locker room, without them noticing, both Kazuya and the Black hedgehog were nearby.

The fighter chuckled a bit. "So then...What was your name again?"

"...Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog: The ultimate lifeform." Shadow said, who had a gruff and deep voice

"Thank you, Shadow. Now, I switched the roster around just for this very occasion. After both Jun and Heihachi finish their fight, it's you and the young hedgehog now. Those other two are none of importance. Kill the Brown one." He said.

The ultimate lifeform only looked at the keyblade master. "You must be kidding. The man who survived the fall of begin thrown off a cliff by his father, wiped him from his place for an act of revenge, and the very one who's soul is one with the devil himself is afraid of a small kid?" He closed his eyes. "Have you forgotten about our deal?"

"I have not. Here is the plan for it." Kazuya said to him. "That young one is chosen by a legendary weapon known as the keyblade. He's an obstacle of getting to Heihachi, but also an asset for my colleagues. In order to get to Heihachi, he must be in the finals against me. At that point, you must drop out so that I can dispose of him myself. Something...Personal, if you will. However, that boy is a problem. Wipe him out and once he's gone, nothing will stop me from killing him for good. It's...You you say, killing two birds with one stone?" The Jet Black hedgehog stared at the fighter and then back at the hedgehog. "Believe me...I shall hold my end of this deal. Now, prepare yourself."

Shadow thought about it. Was he really willing to kill someone that young just to get his wish granted? Was he? He took out a picture so he could look at it, seeing people he cares for dearly in it, then put it up and crossed his arms to wait for him to be called up.

"Loser: Jun Kazama! Winner: Heihachi Mishima!" An announcer through the TV said, showing the female was now down and the man started walking away from the ring he was in. Hearing the name Mishima surprised the heroes. Was this man related to Kazuya somehow?

At the same time, the man from the ring walked in and sat down. The heroes wanted to ask something, but didn't have the courage to, instead, the man looked at them. "I can feel as though you are asking on who I am?"

They nodded. "Yeah, that's right. You're related to that guy, right? Kazuya?" Tails asked.

The man, Heihachi, nodded. "Yes...For...He is my son." This shocked him. "He is likely to expect me...I do not blame him as such...His heart is filled with darkness because of my ways."

"Your...Ways?" Ken asked.

"Yes...I was filled with much hate towards my son and wished to know if he was truly my son by throwing him off a cliff." He said. This disgusted the heroes. "I know my actions were wrong, and I was the one who created his Black heart, the power of Devil is what possesses the darkness in his heart that was created buy I. I am here to set it right and free him of who he is now. Kazama as well."

"The girl too? What does she want with him?" The guardian asked.

Heihachi looked at the screen to see the girl get up. "...The very same reason I am here...To rid of the darkness in his heart, even if it means to stop him for good."

"So, for redemption then?" The Dirt-Brown hedgehog asked, then smirked. "Well, you don't have to worry too much on that. We'll take care of him."

The two-tailed fox scooted to him. "Keeen."

The Brown Mobian looked at him with a smile. "Come on, nothing bad happened when we helped Crash with Coco. What else will it hurt?"

"Last call for match up two!" A voice through the intercom.

"That's us!" Knuckles said with a smile, with them getting up.

"Well, we're off!" Ken said with a smile, then pointed toward Heihachi. "Don't worry, we'll both get to Kazuya. And when you and I DO fight, it'll be to show who's the strongest guy there is!" He started backing away with a smile. "See you then, Heihachi!" He looked at his comrades, and they all walked to where the ring will be. Along the way, they also saw Jun about to enter as well.

She quickly got in their way momentarily. "You plan to fight Kazuya Mashima, yes?" They nodded. "Please...For me, save him. Save him from his demon possessed heart." They nodded again and walked to start their match.

Heihachi thought about what the Brown keyblade wielder said to him, making the anti-hero smile a bit darkishly, and follow them to watch the heroes. Jun was left alone inside the locker room now, with nobody there. She looked around in worry until he felt a presence with her, making her look to see Kazuya, for he was smirking towards not only evilly, but lustfully.

* * *

><p>The heroes made their way to the ring, hearing the many people in the area cheering for them. It felt good to the keyblade warrior, having all of this attention. At the very same time, their opponent then came towards them, which they looked to see it was the one they saw before; Shadow.<p>

"So...You are the wielder of the keyblade." The Dark hedgehog said. This surprised them as the Dark-Caramel one summoned his chosen weapon. "Just as I have thought. You're the person I'm looking for."

"The person you're...Who are you?" Ken asked.

Shadow shook his head. "My name...I am the Ultimate Lifeform, Shadow the Hedgehog. And you...Your life will be taken by my hand, for the sake of my own goals!"

**_Enemy: Shadow the Hedgehog_**

Hearing those words shocked them. "Y-You want to kill him?!" Knuckles asked, which angered him. "Not if you get through us!" He ran towards him with the royal shield in hand, well...arm, and was to attack him head on, but the Jet Black hedgehog was able to quickly counter and knock him down for the count by lowering himself to do a sweep kick to knock him into the air and shoot an arrow of Yellow energy at his back. Doing this made the poor Red Mobian skid across the arena ground and knocked him out momentarily.

"Weak...I figured the wielders lackeys would do a better job than this." The Black hedgehog said. At the same time, the Yellow twin-tailed animal was running with his rekindled fire spell prepared, and shot it towards the evil hedgehog. In reaction to this, he formed the Yellow energy again. "Chaos Spear!" He threw the energy spear at the fire to create a explosion of smoke as a reaction.

Tails looked around frantically for the Black hedgehog. "W-Where is he?!" He started forming Thunder into his staff and started shooting around the smoke to find him.

"Here." A voice said near his ear. The fox quickly looked behind him right before getting hit in the face, which sent him rolling and flying across the ring and knocked him out alongside the guardian. They were considered to be one of the most powerful warriors of Knothole, and here they were now; Knocked down and defeated by somebody such as Shadow.

The Black hedgehog then looked at the Hazel one. "You're all that remains. Someone like you getting their comrades get beat up. If you're truly the keyblade master..." He then points at himself with his thumb. "...Then why don't you come here and face me?"

This angered the keyblade master. "If that's what you want, then it's what you'll get!"

Ken quickly ran toward Shadow with the weapon prepared and swung it. Instead of hitting him, the lifeform only flashed away in a green light, which took the Dark Chocolate-colored hedgehog off guard. He quickly looked around to find the Black Mobian until he saw a Green flash appear behind him, then countered one of his physical attacks with the key-shaped sword. This caused sparks of raw power and energy to come between the two of them, which also made the crowd cheer by this outcome.

"You're pathetic. I expected a much better fight than this." Shadow said. But he got his wish of wanting a fair battle as the keyblade master then activate his Kingdom Key's ability, and quickly swung the blade at all angles, in which the Dark hedgehog countered them with his hands covered in Chaos Energy. Despite using the ability, the lifeform was still able to keep track of where the Brown one was going to attack. They both then clashed against their attacks, causing tension between the weapon and the fists until something happened; The Black Mobian then shot a Chaos Spear into the key shaped weapon to send it into the air.

Doing this shocked the keyblade master greatly, then looked at the same raced Mobian. "It's over." He said just before he started glowing Red. "Chaos...BLAST!" He suddenly created a large explosion to not only destroy part of the arena, but also sent Ken back onto the ground with the Kingdom Key being stabbed into the ground near him. "...I win."

**_Shadow the Hedgehog: Victorious_**

The crowd cheered upon someone winning, but that wasn't what the Black hedgehog wanted. He walked toward the Dark-Caramel key wielder, who was getting up.

"I'm...I'm not going to give...Up...Not until...I stop that Kazuya guy from being who he is now! F-For Jun, and Heiachi!" He said. He slowly tried to get up but then fell onto the ground again only to attempting getting up again. At the same time, Shadow started walking towards him, possibly to finish him off.

The Jet-colored hedgehog only stared at him. "Why? Why are you even trying to keep on fighting?"

"Because...Because I'm looking for the people I care for!" Ken said. Hearing this made the dark hedgehog's eyes widen a bit. He was fighting for the very same reason he was. He too, was looking for his friends, but most importantly, someone.

The hedgehogs stared at each other for the longest amount of time just before the unexpected happened; Shadow offered his hand to him, taking the Dark Chocolate-colored one back, but accepted it anyway.

"...You live for the same reason I am..." The Dark animal said, which made Ken curious on what he meant by that. "I forfeit this match and give this victory to my opponent!" The crowd cheered for this despite the shock of it all.

"What? Why are you-"

"...I apologize for harming you and your friends earlier. It was for...My own goals."

The keyblade master was about to ask what it was, but Shadow was suddenly hit in the back by Yellow beams. This shocked everyone else and looked to see who it was from; Kazuya Mishima.

"So...You have decided to back away from our deal, have you?" He asked while glowing Purple. "Very well...That is your choice, and I greatly respect it. Then I will just have to rid of this small one myself." A certain feature on him glowed Red now, a scar on his chest, indicating he was tapping into the power of the devil.

"Kazuya!" A voice said as this figure stepped in front of the keyblade hero, revealing to be Kazuya's father; Haiachi.

Seeing this made the devil fighter angry. "You have abandoned I, your own son for this small rodent?" He observed his father in anger, but also realized that Ken was also there as well. This meant that it was two against one, and he was not yet powerful enough to fight them at this point. He closed his eyes. "Very well...But as of now, I will see you when the time comes." His scar flashed Red and suddenly disappeared, leaving them.

The Dirt-Brown hedgehog stared at where the man once was. Where did he go, and would he see him again?

* * *

><p>Ken was suddenly annoyed. "So...The tournament's cancelled?" He was back in the main office with Heiachi, and the awoken Knothole knights.<p>

"I'm afraid so. Is Mr Kazuya isn't here for the final match, then there's no point of keeping the Iron Fist tournament." The man with the suit said. "That, and Jun Kazama is hurt incredibly at this moment. Sorry to do this."

The old fighter looked at the three. "Do you still plan to find my son and stop him?"

The keyblade master nodded. "Sure do! We have to go for now, but we'll be back to help. Promise!" He looked at his comrades with a smile and walked to the exit, making the two sweatdrop.

"Why does he always pull us into these things?" Tails asked just before they walked out, with the old fighter smiling a bit darkish to the hedgehog.

While they walked out into the city, ready to take off to their next world, they all took notice of someone having their back against the wall with his eyes closed in thought; Shadow. The three heroes looked at each other and debated if they should confront him or ignore him, but seeing his sad expression on his face, how could they just ignore that? They all walked to him.

"Hey Shadow. Are you alright?" The Red echidna asked, which caught the Dark hedgehog's attention.

"...So, you said you and I had a same reason?" Ken asked. "What was it?"

The Black Mobian closed his eyes. "...I'm looking for people I care for...And for someone important to me as...A person." He took his back off the wall and started heading towards where the heroes exited. "...I apologize for giving you three much trouble.

"...You'll find him, or her." The Hazel hedgehog said, making the Black one stop. "I'm searching for my friends too...EX, Katie, the girl I really like, Kathy, Deimos, and so on...So don't worry...You're not alone. We can find the people we care for together."

Shadow just said nothing but suddenly rose his arm and snapped his fingers to create a Yellow orb covered in lightning. "...You'll need this if you wish to find your friends." He quickly threw it to the Dark-Brown hedgehog, then three papers along with it, music sheets. This now made fifteen of Miku's lost songs. "...And never lose sight of what you want..."

The heroes only stared at the Dark hedgehog, then at each other before nodding and flashing into a bright light to get back to the X Tornado. This caught the hedgehogs attention slightly, but continued to walk until he saw something else within the shadows of the entry way of the coliseum; A hedgehog that looked much like Shadow, but had a Dark Blue instead of Red and Green devil eyes. The two only stared at each other before the Black hedgehog walked to meet his other, while Kazuya watched both him and the heroes disappear.

The fighter stayed at where he was just until he turned around to see someone from behind; Black Doom. "Are you here to lecture me?"

"You let the keyblade wielder get away. Why have you?" The Alien leader asked.

"His power and the newest from my father would easily overwhelm my power, even with The Devil himself. He will be back. Leave this situation to me and do not interfere."

The dark being could not do much to convince him otherwise but only nod. "Very well...I shall leave you to your plan." He faded away, leaving the demon warrior standing there still before walking away.

* * *

><p>Shadow walked into the destroyed ring while it was night time, and no one was there. He knew that for some reason, he would be fighting for his life, and his adventure will end here. He looked behind him to see his shadow starting to swirl and form something from within the ground, making the Dark hedgehog step back slightly and see his other self form from within.<p>

It only laughed darkly and evilly. "Oh how long it's been, Shadow the Hedgehog."

"...I've been looking for you, Mephilies." The Black hedgehog only said.

"So you have. Have you forgotten I am one with you and your shadow?"

"...I'll never be safe from the darkness within so long as you exist." The Jet-colored Mobian said before looking at his picture again, for it was finally revealing his friends; Jet, Storm, Wave, a White bat wearing a spandex, White boots with hearts and one on her chest, and Tikal.

"Then...Join me in your final calling, Shadow the Hedgehog!" Mephiles said before flashing, turning into a more crystallized and demonic version of him.

The two hedgehogs of darkness stared at each other, knowing it was their only battle. At that moment, the two of them started throwing Chaos Spears of light and darkness at each other, with each and every one countering with a small explosion. At the last one, both of the Mobians then clashed fists just before a flash of light appeared, leaving the ring empty. Nobody knew what happened to them, but it was assumed they fought a good fight.


	10. Jungle Catastrophe - Part I

**_Chapter X: Jungle Catastrophe - Part I_**

It's been awhile yet again for the three since their visit to King of the Iron Fist, and they swore they'd return soon to deal with Kazuya. But before they headed to the next world, they all decided to rest while Tails put the X Tornado on autopilot. The keyblade wielder couldn't help but think about what happened back there with the demon fighter. Was the power he was about to do the power of Devil? He knew he'd have to fight Mishima again someday, but he knew that its power was not to be understimated.

Meanwhile, with the Yellow twin-tailed fox, he looked over the cockpit to see another world in front of them. "Whoa, hang on for a bit guys!" He did a sudden stop with the plane for everyone to look at it; It was a large jungle with waterfalls, ruins, and lakes.

"What kind of place is that?" Knuckles asked.

"I have no idea, but it seems like it's a place filled with water. And it's not Sonic's forte." The fox said. "We should move on."

This shocked Ken. "Hold on! What if my friends are there?!"

"They're probably not even there for all we know, I don't know if anyone can survive in a place like that." The Yellow furred Mobian said. "Plus we're on a miss-"

"Just...LAND."

"No!"

"If you won't help me, than I'll save my friends myself!"

At that point, the Dirt-Brown hedgehog pressed a button on the front, shocking all of them.

"NO! DON'T TOUCH-" Both the knothole knights yelled just before they were shot by a laser from the top, and shot them from the front of the plane and to the world. They all yelled in complete fear, except the cheering Knuckles of course, and were now separated from each other.

* * *

><p>A flash appeared into the Cyan sky to reveal the Hazel hedgehog in the air, then quickly dropped down and started screaming. He kept falling until he broke through a large tree and landed on the grass. "Ow..." He slowly got up and shook his head to get any of the grass off. "Man...Where am I? Tails? Knuckles?!" He looked to see he was indeed the inside of a tree, but what is this world exactly? He was about to check on where he was until he heard a gun cock behind him, making him look to see two figures who look exactly the same; Green skinned and wore explorer clothing with guns in hand, but they seemed rather cartoony.<p>

The two explorers talked to each other in what seemed like jibberish. The keyblade master wondered on what they were even talking about, but they imminently stopped talking and prepared to shoot him. He reacted and summoned his bladed key and prepared for battle, but there was a sudden rustle in the distance. The two hunters only talked to each other in their language, which was REALLY foreign to the hedgehog, but who could blame him? The hunters then started toward the source of the rustle just before one of them was hit by a fist. Not just a fist from a person, but just A fist.

The hand uncurled from its fist and got on its two fingers and started doing a dance, which confused the both of them greatly. The Dark Caramel-furred Mobian noticed another of the same hand getting onto the other hunters shoulder and suddenly punching and knocking it out. The hands then walked away on two fingers while a figure came into the tree with the hero; It was a being with no limbs to support its head Peach colored head with a large nose and two Light Yellow hair in two fronds, shoes that was Yellow and White, and hands, on its Purple torso with a Red hood and a White circle.

"Whoa...What are you?" Ken asked while walking up to the being. "Thanks for saving me. You really helped me. So...Who were they?" The being only smiled widely and looked around, not saying anything. He assumed he was mute, just like Crash was in Wumpa Island. He wasn't sure on what to say.

"...What...Name?" The being asked.

Maybe he wasn't mute after all, for this surprised him. "My name is Ken, what's yours?"

"Ra...Ray...Rayman." Rayman said. It seemed he was having trouble talking.

"Ok, Rayman. I've been separated from my friends have you seen them?" The keyblade master asked, but it seemed that the small being didn't understand. "Friends. One of them's named Tai-" He stopped right there, for the thought of the Yellow two-tailed fox made him angry. "-I mean, my friends named EX and Katie."

"Friends... Katie and... EX?" Rayman asked. "Friends in...Ke...Keearth."

"Keearth?"

He pointed his floating hand to his circle. "Keearth. Friends...There."

This made the hero happy. "Really?! Take me to them!"

The small limbless being jumped up cheerfully and ran off through the exit, with the Dark Brown hedgehog following. Out of the tree held a large jungle filled with multiple ruins and waterfalls with small little circular bugs flying around, with Rayman jumping from platform to platform to get to his location while laughing with the hero following.

_**X-Jibberish Jungle-X**_

* * *

><p>Somewhere else in the jungle, held Knuckles trying to get his fox friend unstuck from his head in the ground. He pulled and pulled harder just before Tails was able to get out from him being stuck, landing on their rear ends.<p>

"There we go." The guardian said, then looked around. "Where are we?" He looked worried now. "I wonder where Ken is. I hope he's alright..."

Hearing that name made Tails angry. "After what HE did? Forget him! We can find Sonic without-" He made a turn and was about to walk to a different direction but saw someone in his way; It was a large cartoonish Blue humaoid Frog with a wide mouth and its eyes attached to the top. With the both of them seeing each other, they both screamed loudly in fear. The large frog jumped back, while two other small beings came with the large one, but they were the same; Blue skinned little men with big noses and no fingers on their hands. The only difference between them was one wore a Green robe and king crown, while the other wore Blue robes and a small wizard hat.

"Look king! Beings from the other world!" The wizard said. "Could they be sent by King Sonic himself?"

This shocked the two knothole knights. How could they know of Sonic? Could it really mean that Sonic WAS here?

The king thought of it. "Perhaps. Maybe we should go to Betilla about them."

"How do you even know of Sonic?" The Red dreadlocked echidna asked.

This caught both of their attention. "Oh, I apologize, and for Globox. We are the Teensies of Jibberish Jungle, and we have been expecting you greatly." The king said with a smile.

* * *

><p>Somewhere in the jungle, the limbless hero skidded through running water on a large rock with the keyblade master just behind him. Rayman only cheered at his insane antics while swinging his head around like he was pretending to be a rockstar.<p>

This made the Brown hedgehog smile a bit. _"This guy's freaking insane." _They suddenly hit a large curve on the rock and they both jumped off and flew away. Ken started swinging his arms to grab something while the small being cheered and they both headed toward large tree, one that's larger than the others, and grabbed the keyblade wielders hand. The large nosed one then took out his other hand and grabbed one of the branches of the tree so they could climb up.

The two of them walked to the inside of the large tree, which was completely hollow, but had rays of light coming out from the top. But there was someone from withing it; It was a curvy catroon human girl with Red hair that's longer than her body and fairy wings, and wore a Light and Dark Green top, skirt, theigh-high legging, and a large pointy hat with gold bangles on her wrists. She was minding her business before she turned to them after hearing them.

"Rayman. It's good to see you've returned." She said, just before she looked the the hedgehog with wide eyes. "Hamon? You've returned."

The Hazel Mobian was put into question again. This was the second time he was called that. "I'm not Hamon. My name's Ken."

"Really? You look so much like him. I'm sorry for the mix up." She said. "So you must be the one with King Sonic and the keyblade master. I've been waiting for you."

"W-Wha-How did you know about the..."

"Betilla! We're here!" A voice said. They all looked behind them to see the Teensies and Globox, with Tails and Knuckles with them.

The sight of them made the hedgehog happy. "Tails! Knuckles!" Both him and the fox was just about to hug, but suddenly remembered what happened between them, making them turn away with their arms crossed. The echidna sweatdropped a bit while both the Frog and limbless hero stared while rubbing their heads in confusion.

"Anyway..." Betilla said, hoping to break the tension. "I've been expecting all of you for the longest amount of time." The heroes looked at the fairy. "Our world has been inflicted with darkness for such a long time now and our light has been taken from us. The light of the Lums. Someone in our world by the name of...Mr Dark, has taken and locked them into a place of the unknown." She became sad by the sound of this particular person. "No matter how hard we tried, we could never free them from force created by him. But perhaps...There is hope for the keyblade master and those who reside King Sonic can release and set them free."

"How do you even know about Sonic or the keyblade for that matter?" Tails asked.

The Red haired fairy only smirked while crossing her arms. "I'm a Nymph, a creator to anything, even the legend himself as well; Rayman." They looked at Rayman now, who was smiling and started swinging his hands at a fly mindlessly. Yep, a legend alright. "I know full well of there being different worlds, and of the legendary weapon in your possession. He's the one to protect all worlds, both you and the one who looks much like Hamon."

"You know Hamon then?" Ken asked, with fairy nodding and smiling. "Then you've got to tell me who this guy is. A guy...Well, mask, knew Hamon as well. Who is he? And why do you guys say that I look like him?"

"I'm...I'm sorry young one. I cannot tell you...It's forbidden." She said. There was more to it than that really, but she just couldn't say.

The Brown keyblade wielder sighed. "Alright, then don't worry about those Lums Betilla." He looks at the Yellow twin-tails. "And that means we'll have to work with each other..."

"...Yeah..." He said.

"...For now..." The two said in usion. The echidna scratched his head, wondering on what to do.

Betilla looks at Rayman. "Rayman, would you be so kind to help escort these three to where the Lums are?" The legendary being smiled and nodded.

"Uhhuh!" He said. He started to the exit of the tree with the three heroes following, while a figure stood by on the branch above them. He watched them go by, then stepped out of the darkness created by the leaves; Revealing to be Mr. Dark himself.

He leaped down slowly with the thanks of his cloak, and landed on the branch that led to where the others were. "...Of course Betilla and his young friends would hide in the Snoozing Tree...It's ever so obvious..." He gripped his fists with power. "Soon...Them, and the Lums, will reach the darkness and become Heartless. At that point...They, but most importantly Betilla, be in my control." He headed inside.

* * *

><p>The heroes followed the limbless hero through the deepest of Jibberish Jungle to lead to where the Lums would be. Along the way, both Ken and Tails still decided to not talk to each other and were still mad about the incident. But their path was stopped when shadows came out from the ground, revealing to be not only Powerwilds but a new kind of Heartless; This new kind was in the shape of a small Black-colored Rock golem with Yellow piercing eyes and the Heartless symbol on the chest. The keyblade warrior wasn't sure on what to call them, but he dubbed them 'Earth Rockers'.<p>

"Heartless! They're here too!" The echidna said while taking out his shield, along with everyone else except Rayman taking out their weapons. Mainly because he IS his weapon.

At that particular point, the four heroes then rushed to the Heartless with the first attacking coming from the Dark Caramel-furred Mobian slashing away one of the monkey-formed in a distance so that the Knothole mage would zap it with his Thunder spell so that there would be no delay. The two teammates looked at each other in surprise, seeing they were working with each other. Who could blame them after their small fight? They decided to ignore each other and fight the others.

Rayman flipped backwards from one of the Rocky Heartless with a smile on his face, then started swinging his fist in a large circle before inflicting the hit by letting it fly. His limbless fist flew into the earthy monster, making it dissemble into small pieces onto the ground. Knuckles saw its head and slammed his royal shield into it, making it burst into shadows and have a heart floating into the sky.

The hedgehog finally finished off the battle by slashing the last Powerwild. "There, and they're history!" He let his weapon flash into a light to disappear, then looked at the legendary hero. "Alright, with that done. Rayman, lead the way." Hearing that made him smile and continue leading the heroes to where the Lums were held. They made it to a large Black cage that held the beings they were looking for; Small, Yellow, circular being with arms and small wings.

"Those are Lums? They look so...Weird." Knuckles said while rubbing his head.

The keyblade master noticed a lock on the cage, then aimed his key-shaped sword at it. "Well, let's get them out then!" He unlocked it by shooting a ray of light at it, and the cage opened widely so that the small glowing bugs would fly off while cheering. The limbless hero smiled happily, knowing he was able to save the other Lums. The Hazel hedgehog smirked and put the blade part of his keyblade on his shoulder. "Well, that should do it. We should tell Betilla the good-"

Something suddenly happened; A large shadow came out of Rayman's shadow.

"Rayman, look out!" The sunshine-colored fox yelled. The legendary hero looked behind him just before stepping back to see what it was; The being looked much like Rayman, with the only exception of the Purple torso being Black, feet, head and hands becoming Greyish, and has Yellow eyes. They all stepped back and prepared themselves, ready for what this Dark Rayman was going to do.

**_Enemy: Dark Rayman_**

The evil version of the legendary hero of Jibberish Jungle ran toward his original counterpart with a smile on its face, but his other quickly countered it by swinging his fist and hitting it in the face. However, the shadow did not react by this and just kept running toward him, having some sort of deal with it, but he was suddenly knocked away by the Knothole knight's shield hitting it across the face.

The shadow Rayman just took it and flew away just before he hit the ground harshly but used this to its advantage and seeped into the floor. It then started moving around until it got under the Red echidna and rose through with his fist out, but he saw this and tried to stop the attack. However, it didn't work and punched Knuckles across the chin and sent into the air, but two fists suddenly came in and punched the Dark Rayman; It was both Ken and Rayman themselves to do it. They both made the Dark Rayman explode into small shadow bits but slowly recollected itself far from them on the ground.

"Jeez, what's a good way to even stop him?!" The keyblade master asked. At the same time, the Knothole mage then started using his Fire magic at the shadow. Doing this made the Dark Rayman yell a bit in pain, showing it was vulnerable to magic. This gave the Dark Chocolate-colored an idea but then looked at Tails, who looked back, knowing one thing. "Looks like we'll have to put both our magic to use here!"

The fox sighed. "Right...For now..." He aimed his staff while the hedgehog aimed his Kingdom Key, then suddenly started shooting their spells of Fire and Thunder at the Dark Rayman. Doing this made the dark version of the legendary hero yell in pain, starting to deteriorate and melt slightly. Both the mage and keyblade warriors teamwork was actually beating the Heartless version of the hero.

It screamed loudly but was suddenly shut by its face hitting a shield, the Red echidna's shield. Doing this knocked it back while Rayman jumped off of the guardians weapon and jumped off so he could punch the Dark Rayman down onto the ground while having his tongue out. Once on the ground, Ken quickly ran over to the shadow and stabbed his chosen weapon into it, not only defeating it, but also releasing its heart.

Doing this made him smile. "We did it!" He turned as both him and his for-now-ex-friend were about to high-five, but they suddenly remembered of their fight and turned away with their arms crossed. "...Thanks."

"Welcome."

**_Dark Rayman: Defeated_**

The dark version of Rayman faded away fully, but in return left what seemed to be twelve pieces of paper. The hedgehog looked to see what it was; It was twelve sheets of music, Miku's music. This now made twenty seven of her lost ninety nine songs. He put them in his pocket before crossing his arms.

"Just what was that all about?" He asked, while Rayman mimicked him without really thinking. He was nearly as dumb as Crash, what did you expect?

"Rayman! Rayman! We need help!" A voice yelled. They all looked to see the king teensie running to them tiredly.

This concerned the mage. "What's up?"

"It's Betilla! She and Globox have been captured by Mr Dark!" He said. This shocked everyone, even the legendary hero himself.

"What?!" The keyblade master asked. "Then come on, let's get to the Snoring Tree fast!" They quickly ran back to where they entered to save their friends.


	11. Jungle Catastrophe - Part II

_**Chapter XI: Jungle Catastrophe - Part II**_

The four heroes, after hearing from what the king teensie said about both his and the legendary hero's friends being captured, quickly ran back to the large tree so they would find them.

"Come! Come! We cannot slow down!" The small one said while running at a fast speed, faster than them. How could they catch up to something as small as that?

This made the keyblade master sigh. "We would it we weren't as slow!" He looks at Tails. "You especially!"

Hearing that made the fox angry. "At least I'm not as slow minded as you probably are!"

"Oh why it outta..."

This stared to annoy Knuckles. _"Is this ever going to stop?_" He thought.

"Both of you stop the fighting for now! We must save Betilla and Globox first! The arguing have to wait!" The king teensie said. "If we're ever going to save them, you both must work together!" The two Mobians looks at each other in anger, then focused on them heading to the Snoring Tree.

Upon entering through jumping from branch to branch to the one that leads to the inside, they all saw both the large frog and fairy trapped into a dark cage, just like with the lums. Seeing this made Rayman shocked beyond belief and worried.

Betilla shook her head at them. "Please leave us! It's all a trap!"

"A trap? A trap for-" The teensie tried to ask.

"A trap made by my hand." A voice said. They all quickly looked behind them to see who it was; Mr. Dark. "Everyone is here at one time. I am amazed that the keyblade master, even Rayman himself would fall for such a thing. Now with all that is here...I will end you all right here and now, even you, Rayman!" He summoned darkness into his hand, along with the same energy to arise from the very bark of the Snoring Tree. This dark energy formed into all kinds of Heartless under the evil mans control; Shadows, Soldiers, Powerwilds, Earth Rockers, and a new kind of Heartless now; One that had a large circular body that holds a suit held in Yellow strings, large arms, short legs but huge feet, and a tiny head that holds a small monster mouth and eyes. This one, Ken called a Large Body.

The limbless hero gets in front of the small teensie for protection. "Rayman!" It said.

The echidna looks at him. "Better get outta the way! This'll get a little crazy here!"

The four heroes were able to make quick work out of the Shadows and Soldiers since they were the most weakest, but now had the last three other kinds of Heartless to deal with. The only two Powerwilds leaped toward them with their arms swinging around at them, but they were quickly taken care of by the Knothole mage and Dark Chocolate-furred hedgehog shooting off their Fire spells at them to send them back and finished off by the guardians shield hitting them directly. But before they were sent away and having their hearts released, they hit their bodies against the Earth Rockers to suddenly make them disassemble.

Both the Yellow and Brown Mobians looked at each other in surprise. They seemed to be helping each other more and more. Could their friendship finally be rekindled after all that has happened?

The hedgehog frowned. "Why are you still helping me?"

"Why not? You can't do much without me."

This angered Ken, but ignored it and continued to fight. Rayman grabbed onto the heads of the Earth Rockers and threw it at the other one to smash the two heads and release their hearts. All that remained was the Large Body to defeat now. The fat Heartless only moved slowly, which could have explained on why it didn't attack at all while all of his comrades were pretty much beat up and destroyed. Helpful, huh? But it made up for that by swinging its large arms at them, knocking away the limbless hero into the bark of the Snoring Tree, but quickly got up with a smile on its face, and the sunshine-colored fox and sent to ground.

The hedgehog saw this and ran over to him to help him up while the guardian blocked the attacks of the round heartless. Once near the mage, he offered his hand to help him up, taking the fox by surprise.

"What, you're helping me now? For what reason?" He asked.

The Dark-Caramel hedgehog thought about his reason for why. Why did he run over to help him? Does a part of him still consider him a friend aside from a comrade? He thought of the answer and smirked smugly. "It goes both ways. We can't do anything without us helping each other." Tails stared at him for a bit, then smiled and accepted his hand and was pulled up.

At the very same time, Knuckles guarded against the Large Body's attacks while Rayman was on its back hitting its head with a crazy smile on his face. Both the kitsune and hedgehog smiled and formed Thunder in their weapons, and suddenly shot it with their combined spell. Unintentionally, it also hit the Jibberish Jungle legend greatly, frying him to a point where you'd think he'd become food. Finally being overwhelmed by the magic, the being shot out from the large Heartless with smoke coming out just before it was defeated and had its heart freed.

They all looked at the limbless one. "You alright?" Tails asked, with him getting the response of Rayman giving him a thumbs up and getting up all Black in burns but it was later shaken off. They knew he'd be alright since he was the equivalence of being a cartoon, that and by his wild nature he'd just about overcome with anything. The keyblade wielder then looked at the cage and unlocked it with his weapon via a ray of light, with the captives jumping out. "What about you guys?"

"We're fine. Thank you for saving us, though I'd probably would a have fended him off myself." Betilla said while pretending to do a few fake karate moves, which made them smile a bit. Once she was done with her shenanigans, she looked around and did a head count for everyone; Seeing everybody but the king teensie there. "Where did-"

"Help!" A voice cried, which made everyone look. It was Mr. Dark once again, but holding the missing friend of the Jibberish Jungle crew in his cold dark hands.

The cloaked man smirked from underneath. "I'm amazed that you four were able to fend off my strongest heartless. But I believe it's time I fight my own way." He points at the limbless hero. "You, my fellow enemy, I hope you understand through that pea-sized brain of yours for once. You and I will make a small deal, here it is, and you must follow what I say; You and I will settle everything by one single demand. I will let go of your friend, exchange of your life! You and I will meet where you were created. There we will settle your fate! Go alone, or he will suffer the same fate you should have been given!" He swung his cloak in front of him and disappeared into the darkness from behind him.

They all just stared at what happened, wondering on what to do. Globox scratched his head on wondering what Mr. Dark meant by that, but Rayman understood very well, which could be considered an accomplishment if you think about it. "So, that's it then." Tails said suddenly to them. "One of us really does have to die for another to live." The limbless hero became sad upon hearing that, while the Brown keyblade wielder looked around to see the jungle they were in. He thought on how nobody can die while looking at his chosen weapon. It was at that very point, he had an idea.

"...Maybe there IS a way." He said to all of them, with him turning at them. "I have an idea...What powers does he have?"

* * *

><p>The cloaked villain stood in where he hoped to meet the non-limbed legend of Jibberish Jungle, a large area of the jungle but held four stones coming out of the ground, while holding the small royal teensie in his hand still. He waited a bit longer just before the one he waited for landed through the leaves of the trees.<p>

This made him smile. "You've arrived, and you're alone. Perfect." The hero did not smile or act like the goofball he is, knowing this was serious. Mr. Dark then set the teensie down, giving it the opportunity to run away. "Now...It's time to get down to the real business, shall we?" The hero shut his eyes to prepare for the attack, which was the dark enemy forming fireballs in his hands.

He then shot them at him. "TAILS, NOW!" A voice yelled, just before the fireballs were negated by a gust of ice and Blizzard, shocking the evil one.

"What?!" Mr. Dark asked in shock. At that very moment, three figures came out of a large bush. It was revealed to be the keyblade master and the two Knothole warriors. The sight of them made the dark covered one angry. "You...You disobeyed you limbless idiot! Very well...If this is how you wish to die, then so be it!"

_**Enemy: Mr. Dark**_

The dark resident then formed Fire into his hands, burning brightly and harshly, and started throwing them in a barrage of raining flames. Both Ken and Rayman jumped behind so they could dodge it, then decided to work together by fist bumping together. They both ran side by side while dodging the fireballs, then started swining their attacks at the dark one, the keyblade wielder slashing vertical while the hero swung his fists horizontally. Doing this surprisingly knocked back some of the fireballs.

After swinging a bit, they were both able to start hitting Mr. Dark harshly in complete power, not giving him a single chance to coutner any of the attacks.

"Rayman!" The hedgehog said when he stopped the attacking, with his partner in the twin attack doing the same. They both swung their blade/fist toeard him, and then suddenly let it go and hit the villain, in which doing this sent him back greatly. At the very same time, while being sent back, the Knothole guardian then slammed the shield upward to hit the dark cloaked being, which also sent him upward while the mage was about to attack as well through magic. However, that did not work out like he wanted since Mr. Dark now recovered and spun to face them.

He started forming Thunder into his hands. "It's about time I counterattack, hm?!" He then started shooting out lightning from the sky, hitting the ground and having the four heroes take cover to that they wouldn't get hit.

They all started to run around dodging the dark enemy's lightning/thunder-based attacks, while the Red echidna's only way of dodging it was to use his shield as cover, and Rayman...Just being Rayman and just dodged them in his own weird ways such as dancing. He seems like a very weird one aside from being a bit more intelligent than a certain Orange bandicoot.

"What other way is there to beat this guy?!" Ken asked in question while dodging the Thunders, then started to block them by activating his Kingdom Key ability and twirled it so he could use his own weapon as a shield. At the same time, the sunshine furred fox dodge them while trying some of his magic, which the hedgehog saw and looked around to see Knuckles protecting himself and noticed the limbless hero being...Well, limbless. This gave him an idea. "Guys! Gather around! I have an idea!"

"What is it now?!" The kitsune asked.

"Just do it!"

They all gathered around while the Brown Mobian kept spinning his keyblade forward while the Red one used his shield to cover from above. The fox understood what was going on; While both of them defended, it would give Tails enough room to use his magic on Mr. Dark. "I get it now...You're smarter than you look." He said, which made the Dark-Caramel hedgehog smirk.

The Knothole mage gathered up enough power to form Thunder and then shot it out at the dark villain, causing him to get left off guard momentarily.

"Rayman, punch him!" The key shaped sword wielder yelled, with the little being looking at him in question but decided to do what he was told anyway. He revved up his fist by spinning it and then shot it out at him, in which doing so knocked Mr. Dark around and fall down onto the ground.

Both the small fox and hedgehog looked at each other, nodded, and started forming a Light-Blue gust around their weapons since they put it near one another.

"Blizzard!" They both yelled. Doing so then shot a large shard of ice at the rising dark figure, but was then knocked down harshly skidded across a tree. He slummped a bit in defeat, knowing he was now overwhelmed.

_**Mr. Dark: Defeated**_

However, not wanting to accept it, he slowly tried to get up. "I'm..I'm not stopping! I never will! Not until...Rayman is history!" He quickly snapped his fingers to summon more Heartless, running out of options. "Attack them! Avenge my defeat!" Instead of following his orders, the Shadows started piling on him. "Wait, what?! What are you imbiciles doing?! I am you master! You cannot do this to me!" The Heartless started dragging him into the darkness for where they came, just before he was fully sucked in. Never to be seen again.

The four heroes stared upon this in shock by what just happened. The Heartless turned on him. But for what reason?

"...His heart must have been too much into the darkness." Tails said. That must have been it. At the same time, there were sounds of clapping nearby, making them all look to see it was from Betilla, Globox, and the teensies.

The fairy smiled. "You four did an amazing job! You stopped him!" At that very moment, all of the Lums started roaming around happily, knowing Mr. Dark was no more. They moved freely just before forming into something similar to a heart.

"What are they doing?" The wizard teensie asked. "I've never seen then do anything like this before."

"...Fri...Friends." Rayman said suddenly, which caught the Jibberish Jungle crews attention. "Friends...To..Geethar...Keearth."

This made the Red-haired fairy confused. "Keearth?" She looked at the Lums in thought, then got an answer. "Oh! I get what you're trying to say. You're meaning to say heart, aren't you? Friends together in our heart."

The hero smiled. "Uhhuh!"

"What does he mean by that? Friends in...Our heart?" Knuckles asked, now looking at his chest to see if there was any openings since he thought it was literal. This made everyone sweatdrop.

"He means that no matter what, there's always the people we care for in our heart. Mr. Dark, probably never had anyone to care for." Betilla said. "Our friends and the ones we care and love for are like the light. No matter how much in the darkness you are, there's always that small sparkle of light. But he...He never cared for anyone, and they never cared for him. He had no friends, and was lost in the darkness. If you have no light, then there's no friends." She looks at the three heroes with a smile. "That's what I think, anyway."

Both the Brown and Sunshine-Yellow Mobians thought about what she said, then looked at each other.

"I'm sorry for forcing you guys here. I just thought my friends would be here." Ken said.

"I'm sorry for being a jerk about it. We should have checked for your friends regardless. Like we promised when we met." Tails said with a smile, then put his hand on the keyblade wielders shoulder. "For now on, your friends are my friends. And friends look out for each other."

The Knothole guardian walked up to the two and put his hands on their shoulders. "All for one, right?"

They both smiled. "...And one for all." They both said.

The jungle crew smiled upon this until they all noticed the Lums glowing brighter than before, then they all formed into the shape of a keyhole and created one in the process.

"It's happening again...What could it mean?" The Yellow fox asked in question, but the Dirt-Brown hedgehog wasted no time and aimed the Kingdom Key keyblade at the keyhole, shooting a ray of light from the tip of it and entered into the hole. At that very moment, there was the sound of a locking sound, causing another small piece of the X Tornado to come out of it before it disappeared and the Lums scattering.

"What was that? I've never even SEEN that happen before!" The king teensie said, while the heroes looked at the piece that fell.

The fox observed it. "It's a piece of the Tornado series!" He then sighed. "But it's not Sonic's..." The heroes sighed a bit sadly. "Well, we shoulder probably-" He turned to see Globox near the small fox with a smile. "Uh..."

The sight of it made Betilla giggle. "Looks like Globox found a new admirer!"

"HUH?!" Tails asked, looking at the large frog while it clung onto him. "N-NO! Amy would kill me if she found out about this instead of being with Cream!" They all laughed at this, making the small one sad. "Ugh...Why me?"

* * *

><p>At the very same time, somewhere else, Black Doom and the others with the exception of Mr. Dark watched what occurred through a light.<p>

"What even drew the heartless to its own summoner?" Ganandorf asked in curiosity.

"His own darkness." Black Doom said. "He was deep into the darkness when he summoned them after abusing it so...And it's what gave him his fate."

Bowser laughed upon this. "Serves that little pip-squeak right! He always thought that he could take control!"

"It's a shame. He was at least an asset to our plans." Ganondorf said. "However, the boy is a problem. He has found not one, but two of the keyholes."

"Do not worry of such petty things." The Black alien said. "It will take him a large amount of time to find the rest. And furthermore...He is unaware of out plans, with or without Mr. Dark."

"The seven princesses...Of course." Chairmen Drek said while standing on the table from where they were watching the heroes from. "We are obtaining them one by one." He looks at the large Koopa. "Do you have her?"

He only laughed. "Of course I do, right under Mario's nose too!" He shoved something into the open, revealing to be the very same Blonde haired princess wearing a Pink princess dress from Ken's dream.

* * *

><p>"...So you're leaving now?" Betilla asked sadly, while everyone was now back into the Snoring Tree.<p>

The fox nodded. "Yeah, we have to. Other places are waiting for us."

"We hope your journey goes well." Both the king and wizard teensie said in usion.

"...Ken...Rayman...Friends!" Rayman said with a wide smile, making the keyblade master smile.

"Yeah, we're friends." He said.

The fairy remembered something. "Oh yeah, before you go. I want you to have something to remember us by." She snapped her fingers to create sparkles, but also made a Lum keychain for the Brown-furred one to have. "You know of the keychains, right?"

He nodded. "Thanks again. Well, we'll see you when we get the time!" They all waved at each other just before the heroes flashed away, leaving the smiling Jibberish Jungle crew behind.

"...He's so much like you, Hamon." She said.

* * *

><p>The three heroes appeared back into the X Tornado, ready to get a move on.<p>

"Well, that actually was worth our time." Tails said.

"Yeah, but that just raises even more questions now." Ken said. "What are those keyholes about, or those pieces you found."

The fox rubbed his forehead. "I really don't have a clue..." He looked over any available worlds. "There's nothing right now, so I guess the only place we could go is Traverse Town."

The echidna started thinking. "Maybe Jet will know somethin'?" Both the Yellow and Brown Mobians look at each other, to Knuckles, then back to each other again. Did he really say something that was a huge possbility?

"Traverse Town it is!" The fox said as they made a large U-turn on the X Tornado and headed back to the town.


	12. Reuniting in Traverse Town

_**Chapter XII: Reuniting in Traverse Town**_

It's been a while since the heroes unintentional visit to the Jibberish Jungle, and they were on their way back to Traverse Town for any answers that seeked for. What were those two keyholes from Wumpa Island and Jibberish Junlge before about? Who was this Hamon person that both Aku-Aku and Betilla mistook him for? Was he a relative of the hedgehog by any means? There was only one way to find out, and that was to talk to the Babylonian Hawk; Jet.

While the two-tailed fox flew the X Tornado, Ken observed the new Lum-shaped keychain he received from Betilla, then summoned his chosen weapon to replace his Kingdom Key keychain with the new one. Once doing so, the weapon sudden flashed into a new form; It was now a longer, Purple blade with a White circular guard, and having the blade of it having two Yellow fonds and now two Lum wings in the middle of it. The newest keyblade, for he called it 'Jibbering Jabberwocky '.

The hero observed it and whistled in impression. "Whoa...Talk about awesome."

"Heads up! We're near Traverse Town! Get ready!" Tails said as the plane slowly started to halt.

At that moment, they were shot by a laser from the top of the inside cockpit and then shot them from the front to the large town held by land.

* * *

><p>The three heroes walked through a large set of doors to enter the town their adventure started in. The sight of it made the echidna smile. "Good to know that this place hasn't changed at all." He said.<p>

"You can say that again." The Hazel hedgehog said.

"Ok. Good to know that this place hasn't change at all." Knuckles said.

Both the hedgehog and fox looked at him in annoyance, but decided to move on and find Jet. They all walked through the small streets and saw Wave with her back against the wall of the Accessory Shop.

"Hey Wave!" The keyblade wielder yelled, which caught the Purple Swallows attention.

"Hiya Brown boy. Nice to see you back here alive." She said. "All of your adventures go well?" They all rubbed their heads upon given that question. She sighed. "...I'll take that as a no."

They all decided to get back on topic. "Anyway, where's Jet? We need to talk to him about some stuff regarding our adventure." Tails said.

"He's in the secret entrance behind the hotel on the second district." Wave said, just before looking at the keyblade master. "If you remember where you and Jet took off, you outta know where that is."

He nodded and decided to lead the other two to where the behind of the hotel was. They entered through the second district, the hotel, and now through the back of the building. This area the hedgehog knew and remembered quite well since it was when both him and Jet went their seperate ways momentarily. They all looked around to see the entry way for the secret entrance, with it's metal bars completely bent to make its own entry. They all entered through the small cave in knee high water.

From the inside, they heard the noise of something flapping, making them hurry to see the source of it; Jet the Hawk swinging his large weaponized fan with Tikal watching. After doing another swing, the Leaf-Green hawk noticed them.

The sight of them made him smile. "Well hey there! Nice to see ya still alive!" The Orange echidna then looked at his direction with a smile.

"Hey, nice to see you guys too!" Ken said.

"Everything going alright so far? What are you here for?" He asked.

"Well...We're here for some answers actually." The sunshine-furred fox said. "We've seen something weird lately that we want to ask you about."

This caught the young echidna's attention. "Something weird?"

"Yeah, some sort of keyholes appear at some points." The Dark Brown hedgehog said.

The hawk nodded. "That's good. You're doing what ya need to do."

"What's it for anyway?" Knuckles asked.

Jet then put his large fan up. "Well, lemme explain it to ya. Each world has a keyhole, and each and everyone of them lead to the heart of that very world, this town included. The Heartless enter through that as a way to get in the worlds core. And then..."

There was a large bit of suspense. "...The world is then destroyed." Tikal put it simpily. Hearing that shocked the heroes.

"That's why we need you and the keyblade. We need ya to seal them up so none of them get destroyed." The hawk said, with the Brown islander nodding. "By the way, maybe this'll help you out in some way." He put what appeared to be a Purple rectangular gem in the hero's hand. "I never found out what its used for, so maybe you will."

"Oh yeah! We now that we're talking about stuff..." The yellow fox said as he took out two of the small pieces for the X Tornado. "I recognize that its parts for the X Tornado, but I've never seen anything like it. Do you know anything about it?"

The Green Mobian only stared at it, then started thinking. Maybe a bit too hard for his own good. "Ask our friend Storm in the accessory shop. He know about it better than us." The Orange one said, which they nodded upon hearing that.

"Oh yeah...One last question." The key shaped swordsman said, which caught the girl echidna and male hawk in wonder. "We've been to these two place called Wumpa Island and Jibberish Jungle, and these two residents from different worlds, Aku-Aku and Betilla asked if I was some guy named Hamon." He looks at them. "Who is this guy? Is he important by any means?"

Both Tikal and Jet looked at each other in surprise, then back at them.

"I-I dunno. Never heard of the guy." The hawk lied.

There was more to it than just that, there had to be. But the hedgehog decided to accept that answer and look at his friends. "Come on, let's go find Storm."

They all walked out of the cave so they could make their way back into the first districts Accessory Shop, and entered within. Upon entering, they saw the Grey Albatross behind the counter.

The large bird looked at them with a smile. "H-Hiya...Um...Ken! Good...Good to see ya a-again! H-How can I help ya?"

"Hiya Storm, same with you." Ken said. "Friends of yours told us about you knowing about something. We thought maybe you'd know about it." He showed him the X Tornado pieces, which made the bird excited.

"Hey! I-It's...Um...Um...A Navigational piece!" He said. "They're really...um, rare! They'll take you to...Other worlds? Yeah! Other worlds!"

"Is it possible for you to install it?"

Storm nodded. "S-Sure! But I want ya to do somethin' in...Uh, return!" He took something out of his...Feathers or something? It was a small little snow globe-like object. "I want you guys to go deliver this...Uh, thing I fixed for someone. She says its really special to her. If you give it to her, then it's...Um...What's the word? Free! Yeah, that's it!"

"Free? Aw, now you're talking." Knuckles said.

"Sounds good enough to me." The Dark-Caramel Mobian said just before putting the globe into his backpack. "Consider it done. We'll be back in a bit."

"A'right. But meet me and the gang at the third district house. We're havin' a bit of a get together there." The albatross said.

The heroes made their way to the third district, which they indeed see the house they planned to meet in, but where could the place that person wanting the globe be? That question was answered when they all saw a door with a fire symbol on it on the end of a dead end. They all looked and walked over to it. Could this lead the way?

"I've seen something like this before." The fox said. "Anything with a symbol of the elements on an object means that that particular spell is the only one to open it." It had flames, so that meant fire. The keyblade wielder then aimed his chosen weapon at the door, with the tip being engulfed with flames and shot out at the door, making it open. "Nice. You're getting better."

The wielder smirked upon that comment, but resided it and entered through with the others. They all entered into a large square room made out of dirty Grey bricks, but there was only three sheets of Miku's music, making the total thirty now. This was the place Storm wanted them to go, but where was this girl? Both the Knothole knights searched one end while the hedgehog did with the other.

"There's something about this old place..." A voice said. The sound of it shocked the Dirt-Brown hedgehog and made him turn, seeing the one he cares for the most; Katie. "It reminds me of the secret place back home..." She looked around upon saying that. "Remember, Kenny?" He couldn't believe it. She was right there in front of him. He was extremely baffled upon seeing her.

"Ken? You ok?" A voice asked, hearing it was the Red echidna's. The sound of it made Ken look at him, then back at where Katie was only to see she was gone.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess...Memories got to me is all."

"Oh! You're all here!" A female voice said. They all looked to see who it was; It was a elf-girl with Pinkish hair, one large piece of it in a large curl, and wore Arabian clothing.

The sight of them made both of those from Knothole bow down. "Ring Genie Shahra. It's an honor to meet you." They both said.

"Shahra?" Ken asked.

"She is the legendary Genie of all worlds. She's praised greatly for her mastery of magic, and for helping Sonic with her magic, and his other master, the Oracle's strength. It's because of them he's now very-" Tails explained to him.

Shahra only giggled by them. "Now, now. No need to be so royal. We're all friends here." The two stopped bowing, while the genie looked at him. "And you must be the newest wielder of the keyblade, Ken the Hedgehog, am I right?" He nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Sonic wanted me to help you in anyway possible. Now, let's add a bit of life to this place, shall we?" She suddenly snapped her fingers together to make a flash from within the room. She changed it from an empty space into a room filled with Arabian decor, books about magic, and a small stand on the edge. The sight of it made her smile. "That's much better." She looks at them. "So now, you're here to deliver me the globe?"

The fox mage brought it out from the hedgehog's backpack and gave it to her. "All in one piece."

"Excellent. I wouldn't know what to do without this." The genie said. "This very globe is legendary, and only one of its kind. It contains world, a world much different than our. But...I could never get inside."

"Well what can get you inside?" The Brown Mobian asked.

"Perhaps magic much stronger than mine. I could never do it with my very own. Maybe...You three could do it." She said in thought, then looked at the hedgehog again. "Now...About that gem you brought with you. May I see it?"

This shocked him. How could she know about the gem he never showed her? "H-How did you-"

"She's one of Sonic's masters. What did ya expect?" Knuckles asked with a chuckle. Thank goodness he wasn't flexing his muscles while doing it.

At that point, Ken calmed down and handed the gem to Sharha. The moment she touched it, she felt a cold power from within, making her sad. "The poor thing...Trapped inside the small gem. So young and lively. Trapped within because of darkness." She then smiled a bit. "If you wish, I can free its spirit and turn it into a summoning gem. Where you can summon it whenever needed." He nodded. "Very well." She snapped her fingers, breaking the gem but also shot out a Purple light from within to the ground to create something.

The being that came out, revealing to be a small Purple dragon with two Yellow horns, Red wings, spikes on the back, and a spiral on the tip of its tail. "W-Where am I?" He asked with a small voice. "Elora! Hunter! Bianca! Sparx! Where are they?!"

"Sorry to say, but they probably got destroyed by the Heartless, plus with your world." Tails said.

The thought of those made the dragon angry. "I remember now...They destroyed my home...And even took Elora."

"A friend of yours?" The keyblade master asked. The dragon nodded. "Don't worry little guy. We'll get back at them, and save your friends." He sunk to his knees and offered his hand. "I'm Ken; Ken the Hedgehog."

"Spyro." Spyro said. "I'll help any way I can. So I can give those Heartless what for so I can get back to beating Gnasty Gnorks butt with my friends!"

"Same with me. So that me and my friends can be together again."

The Purple dragon nodded. "Call me whenever you want so we can give em a beat down!" He started fading away into a light and sinked into the keyblade in case he needed to be summoned.

"Alright Shahra, we'll be back soon!" The Dark Chocolate-furred hedgehog said to the Ring Genie, and him and the Knothole knights walked out so they could get back to the third district.

But once they entered the area, the heroes were suddenly cornered by Soldier Heartless. They prepared themselves for a fight but a sudden Crimson dash wiped them all out at a fast speed, with the Brown keysword wielder staring at who it was in shock; EX.

"E-EX?" Ken asked.

The Crimson hedgehog only smirked while twirling his weapon; A bat wing-like sword with a Blue eye on the middle on the guard. "Howdy. 'Bout time I found ya." The Brown one wanted to believe it was him, so he made sure by pinching his friends nose. "Ow, ow, ow! Lay off ya wanker! I'm real!"

"I-I really am not dreaming!" He said, then smiled widely. "EX! You're really ok!" He looked around, knowing something was missing. "Where's Katie? Or the others for that matter?"

"They're not with you?" EX asked, but received no response while the Dark-Brown hedgehog only rubbed his top Grey Arrowed quill. "Eh, it's a'right. I'm sure she's fine." At the same time, a Shadow Heartless begun to form behind him. "But hey, look at it this way; We're free now. Maybe our friends are looking for us right now." He smirked a bit. "Just leave it to me. I know this bloody guy named-"

There was a sudden noise of a slash, catching the Blood-Red hedgehog's attention and looked to see the keyblade wielder behind him with his Jibbering Jaberwocky keyblade out, destroying the Heartless. Once it was defeated, he turned to face his friend. "...Leave it to who?" He smirked and put his weapon's blade on his shoulder. "I've been looking for you and the others. With their help." He points to them. "The fox is named Tails, and the Echidna is named Knuckles."

The Red hedgehog looked at them, feeling a bit of a dislike toward them. "...That right?"

"Yeah! We visited a lot of worlds just to find you."

"And he's also the keyblade master too!" The Knothole guardian said while putting his arm around the Brown hedgehog's neck with a smile.

"...Really? And this is called a keyblade, right?" The Crimson Mobian asked while wielding something else and showing it off in observation; The Kingdom Key keyblade.

The sight of it surprised them. "W-What the?!" Ken asked after looking at his hands to see its gone. "H-How did..."

"...Huh, interestin'." EX said simply, then threw the weapon back to the rightful owner, with him catching it.

"S-So you're coming with us, right?" The wielder asked. "We've got this awesome plane called the X Tornado that takes us to world. You've GOT to see it."

"Are you sure he wants to?" The Knothole mage asked.

The Brown hedgehog looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, he's got to. There's no WAY he'll deny-"

Knuckles thought for a bit, which surprises him, then looked up to see EX was gone. "Uh...Guys? He's gone." They both look to see it.

"H-Huh?" Ken wondered. Where did his other island friend go? "Was it...Something I said?" He sighed a bit, but then gained a smile. "Well, at least he's alright. And maybe we'll run into Katie and the others along the way." They started to head to where they plan to meet the others, which was the small house near from where they stood, and went in. At that point, the gang from within prepared themselves but the moment they saw them, they calmed it.

"Good to see ya guys here." Jet said.

While the three nodded while looking around. "This is your base?" The guardian asked.

"It's for...Um...The moment! Yeah!" Storm said. "Anyway..You, um, heard of a guy named...Er..."

"Black Doom." The Purple swallow said.

"Yeah! That's right. Black Doom."

The heroes shook their head. "Why? Is it the bad guy of all bad guys or something?" The Brown Mobian asked.

"Yes. He is very dangerous." Tikal said. "He's the very reason worlds are destroyed, and he also controls the Heartless for many years. Many have followed him."

"So then...People like Kazuya in King of the Iron Fist and Mr. Dark in Jibberish Jungle." The sunshine-colored for said.

"Very much so." She said. "Our ruler was Rian. He studied the Heartless and put them into the reports he made."

"...Though nobody really knows where they are, and they're most likely destroyed." Tails finished for her. "So that means our only clue to stopping them fully is gone too..."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on the outside, Black Doom was watching them while someone else was near him; EX.<p>

"Do you see now?" The master of darkness asked. "While you searched so far for your friend, he simply replaced you and your friendship like it was a very old toy. He now values them more than the friendships from within your pass."

The Crimson hedgehog only stared through the window silently. But his silence did not hide his anger, his rage that built up. "...After all the years we went through...He ends up throwing it away..."

"You feel then rage within your darkened heart, don't you? You want to make him understand how you feel...You want to DESTROY him for leaving it all behind." The Black alien then put his darkish hand on EX's shoulder. "Come and join me, EX the Hedgehog. For with our darkness, you will find that he chooses to leave behind...Your friends."

He still stared at his ex-friend now, then nodded to accept the offer. At that point, both him and Black Doom disappeared into darkness, while a figure went through the door from the second district just after they left.

* * *

><p>"...Anyway, thanks for...Um...Giving her that globe!" The albatross said to the heroes. "I got that, er, Navigational piece in your plane. And I put in a...Er...Warp piece just for fun."<p>

This confused the hedgehog. "Warp piece?"

"It's to help us warp over to worlds we've already visited." The fox mage explained. "Definitely help us in case we find more of those pieces and want to give them to Storm, or for that thing with Kazuya."

"Oh, I get it!"

At that very moment, there was a large ringing in the distance. The sound of it annoyed the hawk. "Ack! That thing just doesn't know when to shut up!"

"Something wrong with it?" The Crimson echidna asked.

"No, but there's a legend that if you ring the bell in the Gizmo shop three times, something extraordinary happens." Tikal said to the same species hero.

"Something extraordinary..." Ken said, in thought. Could it be a lead to Traverse Town's keyhole? "Maybe it leads to this town's keyhole?" They shrugged. "Guess there's only one way to find out, huh?"

They nodded. "But before you go there...We met someone who says she knows you." Wave said. "Her name was...Kathy or whatever it was."

That very name shocked him. "Yes! I know her! She's from my island! Where is she?!"

"She should be here by now. We told her about everything that's been going on. She came around after you left. After we explained everything to her, she wanted to get prepared to join you guys. She was even picked up by Shahra to help her with magic." She said.

At that particular point, the door opened and revealed to be the one that came from the second district; Kathy. The Hazel hedgehog only stared at her in shock, which later turned into happiness. There must have been a god out there, because he brought both EX and Kathy to him. He slowly walked his way to her, making her blush slightly.

"...Chiii~..." She simply said. At that point, he crouched down to her and hugged her tightly. "...I'm glad you're ok...I know everything."

"...You sure you want to come with us? This isn't going to be a fun adventure. From here on out...There will be danger around every corner." He said to her.

"...If you want me to."

"Of course I do. I don't want you out of my sight again. This time, we're all leaving together." He stopped the hug so they'd look at each other with a smile, then he got up from it. "Come on, let's go."

At that moment, Tails took his hand out in front of the small Cat. "I'm Tails."

The echidna did the same but it was on top of his fox friend's. "I'm Knuckles."

Then the Dark-Brown hedgehog put his hand on top of theirs while she stared at it, and hesitantly did it as well. "All for one, and one for all!" They said.

* * *

><p>The three heroes, with Kathy inlcuded, walked to the second district so they could find the bell for the Gizmo shop. While walking, the keyblade master stopped quickly. "Hey guys, before we go to it, mind if we go somewhere near here first?"<p>

They stopped to look at him. "What for?" Knuckles asked.

Ken then took out the music sheets. "I have these for my friend Miku. She really wants them since their from her world."

"Alright, alright. But make it quick." The sunshine- furred fox said, just before the chosen one walked off to where he first met the Blue-haired girl.

He entered through the door of the small house near the Gizmo shop, with music sheets in hand, and saw her. "Hey, I'm back! And I got some of your songs back!"

She looked at him with a bright smile. "You...Did?! Arigato!" She jumped up and hugged him tightly. Maybe TOO tight since it felt like his spine was about to break.

S-Sheesh! If you keep hugging me like this, I'll be half the hedgehog I already am!" He said. The sound of that made her instantly stop.

"S-So sorry."

"I-It's alright." He said. He took out the thirty of the ninty nine songs and gave it to her. "Only sixty nine to go. Just be patient for me, ok?"

She nodded with a smile. "Thank you...Very much!"

He gave her a thumbs up and exited to meet the others. "Alright, now let's get to that bell." They all headed to the inside of the 'clock tower', which is now known as the Gizmo shop, and made it to the other side so they could climb up to the top on a new ladder that was installed.

They climbed up to the top of the building to see the bell on top of the tower. "There it is. Shall we pull it for the moment of truth?" They walked to the large bell and grabbed the large rope so they could pull it. In doing so, it caused the certain part of the wall on the fountain to turn one time while the bell rung.

"Did...Something happen?" The young cat asked.

"I dunno, but let's keep pulling it!" The knothole guardian said. They all kept tugging it for a second, and then a third time. The part of the wall turned, a second and third time. The last time it showed a picture that has a keyhole on it, but not just ANY keyhole. "There it is!"

They all jumped down from the top of the building so they could run over to it, but something suddenly came out to stop them. It was a large rocky golem that was made of ice, icicles for fingers, Dark Blue eyes, and a crossed Heartless symbol. Nobody knew what it was since it was new, but the keyblade hero called it 'Frost King'. It roared loudly in power, not wanting them to pass.

_**Enemy: Frost King**_

They all prepared themselves. "From the looks of it, if it's made of ice then it must weak against fire! Use tha-" The fox tried to say just before he was backhanded by the large giant so that he would be sent away.

The sight of that surprised them, then looked at the ice giant in preparation. The ice Heartless then threw its fist at them but it was countered by the guardians shield, stopping the attack. "Now!" The shield was pushed away by its power and was about to be punched again, until it was stopped by the echidna's fists due to his strength.

To help rid of the giants fist, the keyblade master planned to rid of its arms by slashing it. But in while doing so, he unintentionally activated his Jibbering Jaberwolky's ability, making it feel heavier that usual. He wasn't sure why this was, but decided to go ahead with the slash. However, it was a much different slash than before. It may have been heavy, but it was much stronger than his normal one so it was able to cut through its large arm, making it scream.

He looked at his new keyblade. "Whoa...So it's like my Kingdom Key except it's stronger instead of faster than normal!" He saw the other arm coming near him and was about to slash it as well with its ability still active. However, he was too slow due to it's heavier weight, resulting in him getting hit and sent back and rolling, but he was able to quickly recover back onto his feet. "...But that also makes my slashes slow in exchange..." He jumped up back onto his feet while the very same large limb reached for him, but it was suddenly hit and melted off by what appeared to be dark flames. He looked at the source of it, which surprised him; Kathy. "H-How...How did you-"

While the Frost King walked backwards with its arms gone, it was then being shot in the chest by fire and causing it to crack, seeing it was the Knothole fox shooting it and up once again. "Now! Hit him while we have the chance!" The keyblade master nodded and ran up to the giant with his weapon prepared alongside the echidna, and activated the ability of the Jibbering Jabberwolky to heavily slash through it alongside with the shield. Doing so made it crumble into large pieces and have its heart released into the sky, while also

_**Frost King: Defeated**_

Once the large heartless was defeated and the heart flew away, it also left what appeared to be a Blue orb with icicles on it. The hedgehog grabbed it to observe it but it was suddenly absorbed into him. Judging by its looks, he learned the Blizzard spell.

He looks at everyone. "Everyone ok?" They nodded, making him do so and look at his cat friend. "Kathy. Those dark flames...How did you..."

"I...Don't know if I was born with it...But...She helped me learn it..." She said.

"That was dark flames." Tails stated. "Your power must be in the area of Twilight."

"Power of twilight? What do you mean?" Ken asked.

"There's four different kinds of powers within the world. Light, Darkness, Dawn, and Twilight. The power of Twilight contains light within someone, but sinks into darkness more than into light. Much like Dawn, but light rises in darkness." The fox explained, then looked at Kathy. "I'm not sure how you're able to keep that in check, but it works somehow."

The thought of that worried the Brown Mobian. Darkness inside someone like her? How could that really be possible? She never had a bad life as far as he was aware. He looks at her. "I guess what you just witnessed a bit ago is what our adventure will be like. From here on out, things will only get harder." He puts his hand on her shoulder. "Are...You sure you want to go with us?"

Without a single thought she nodded. "...Yes..."

He nodded to agree taking her, then looked at the keyhole with his key-shaped blade aimed toward it. He then locked the large keyhole by shooting a laser of light to the inside, hearing a large locking sound before it disappeared.

"Looks like they're not gettin' in there." Knuckles said. "I think we've done all we could do. So how about we get back to the plane?"

"...Plane...?" The Twilight powered cat asked.

The keyblade wielder nodded. "Yeah, we should get to the next world." He looked at her and offered his hand. "Still wanna go?"

She asked no questions and grabbed it, just before the Knothole knights grabbed the hedgehog's shoulders and they all flashed away.

* * *

><p>They all flashed back into the Tornado, which took the cat by surprise and wondered where she was.<p>

"...Where...Am I?" She asked.

"Outside of the world to many others." The Hazel one said. "Tails, let's head off to the next one!"

"Right ahead of you!" The fox said. He then started the plane with a smile on his face and put up the coordinates for the next world. "Let's go!" The X Tornado then made a quick U-turn and zipped off to the next world, while the newest member watched in awe.


	13. A Link to Power - Part I

_**Chapter XIII: A Link to Power - Part I**_

It's been a while since the three, with Kathy included, left Traverse Town and locked the keyhole to that world. They felt a bit of an accomplishment in doing so, and now knew its purpose. They needed to get to any of the worlds they'll be able to get to, and lock their keyholes to save it.

While on their way, with the twilight cat watching along with the Red echidna and Tails flying the X Tornado, the Brown furred keyblade master only napped. But little did he know that he was dreaming; Not just any dream mind you, but more or less of a memory.

* * *

><p><em>In this very memory, a woman walked down a White snowy-like path filled with waves of Purple and Black darkness. This woman however, was a female hedgehog around being eighteen with Black fur, Blue eyes and a symbol on one of her quills that is very familiar to the Brown hedgehog, and also wore a Dark Blue cloak that revealed her Black shirt, Black shorts, Brown boots. But there was something special surrounding around her; Two keyblades. One that was short, and another that was very long. <em>

_She kept walking through the path she was one, since there was nowhere else to go. "It's dark...And this road just keeps going on and on..." She said silently to herself, then looked down with a smiled and rubbed something; Her stomach. "It's going to be ok little one...I'll make sure that you get out of here and...And live your life fully until...It's time." She then became sad. "If only...If only your father was here." She tried to rid of the thoughts of them, and tried to smile. "How about I tell you a story? Would you like that?" She knew the small unborn baby wouldn't talk, but it comforted her. "Let me tell you a story a soon to be mother told me...About the tale of light and darkness."_

* * *

><p>"Ken! Wake up!"<p>

The voice woke the key shaped sword wielder, with his eyes wide to see it was from Knuckles. "W-What is it?!"

"We're here." He said.

He quickly got up to look at the world in front of them; It was a large field that held a large castle near a small town on the edge of the piece of land. "What is this place called?"

"I've never heard of this one, but it's named 'Hyrule'." The fox mage said. "What do you say we check it out? Maybe we'll find you and Kathy's friends along the way." The way of transportation then started itself and flew near it so they could land.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>X-Hyrule-X<strong>_

There was wind blowing through the grass, the Greenest anyone can ever see. But it was stomped on by a figure, revealing to be Ganondorf with Black Doom following him to an lowered bridge to the walled town.

"...And of the keyhole in this world?" His leader asked.

The Green skinned man smirked a bit. "The Heartless I've sent are searching for it as of right now. And now that that remains to find is Zelda and to obtain the Tri-Force."

"And of the keyblade bearer?"

"If he were to come here, then it will not last long. Do not worry. But why worry of Zelda? We will seize control of Hyrule soon."

The king of the heartless looked at him. "It seems you have forgotten our plan. We must acquire all seven princesses of heart in order to unlock the final door. If there are less, then our efforts will mean nothing."

"Ah, yes...I remember now." Ganondorf said with a bigger smirk. "Then do not fret. We will find her, soon." He summoned darkness into his hand to create Heartless behind him, newer ones. The ones he created were Black skeletons with the same colored armor pads, sword, shield, boots, and Yellow eyes with a Heartless symbol on its chest. "Go. And find Zelda so we may use her." They quickly faded away into shadows and swished away, while its creator planned to walk away.

"Remember of what happened to Mr. Dark." Black Doom said, stopping the man. "If you steep into the darkness for too long, then they will grab hold of your heart."

The great king of evil only laughed upon that and continued on, while someone watched and heard their conversation from a corner; This woman just so happened to be the very same one wielding the triangles in Ken's dream; The ten year old Princess Zelda. She didn't know on what to do so she decided to get away as far as she could, but boy wasn't THAT a mistake. Black splotches formed in front of her to create the Heartless Ganondorf made, making her run away from them as they too chased her.

* * *

><p>Near the entry for the city, there was a flash that emitted on the grass, revealing to be the four heroes. They looked around to see the area and walked into the town to see multiple shops, small but pretty buildings, and a few trees around the area.<p>

"So...This is Hyrule." The keyblade master said. "I gotta say, it looks rather peaceful to me. Not a single Heartless in sight."

It wasn't until he said that where Zelda ran past them, which took them off guard but they noticed the Black skeletons from before; With the hedgehog naming it 'Black Knights'. When they appeared, Kathy looked at him. "...You had to say it...Didn't you?" She asked.

With that said, they all prepared themselves for battle. The Black Knights then rushed toward the heroes with their swords and shields ready in hand, with the keyblade master starting this attack first and clashed his weapon with his Jibbering Jaberwolky to send both their weapons back. The one he fought with then tried to counter with its sword, but the ability of his keyblade activated and, while slow, he was able to stop the slash but also slashed the blade into two pieces. Given the amount of time he's received from it, he quickly changed his keychain to his Kingdom Key and quickly slashed it with a slash of the speed of light.

While at the same time, the Red guardian guarded against some of the sword slashes with his mighty weapon. "Sheesh! You're not lettin' up!" After he was being attacked for a while, he put his brute strength into pushing the Heartless knight away and slammed his spiked fist into its face harshly. "Bye bye!" The last Black Knight rushed toward him with its sword prepared, but the echidna then uppercutted it harshly to knock the sword out of the way.

At the same time while it was stunned, both the twilight cat and Knothole fox started shooting their own versions of fire at the stunned knight, making it light on fire with the two versions of flames intertwine. After a while, the finally heartless soldier.

Once finished, the hedgehog sighed. "Alright, THAT is it. No more jinxing it!" The sound of that made Kathy smile. They all looked to see where the girl they passed went to, seeing she was hiding behind a bush. "Hey, come on out! They're gone!" The small Zelda looked at them through it, with her eyes peeking out. "It's alright...We're good guys." She feels an instant trust for them and leaves her hiding spot, the sight of her surprised him. _"She's...The girl from my dreams."_

Zelda was a bit worried. "Who...Are you four?"

"Oh! I'm Ken; Ken the Hedgehog."

"I'm Tails!"

"Knuckles, nice to meet you!"

"I'm Kathy."

She smiled upon those names. "My name is Zelda. Princess Zelda."

"A... Princess?" The cat asked.

"Yes. And I'm the daughter of the King of Hyrule." Zelda explained. "But his power has been ridden by Ganadorf, the only male member of the Gerudo in such a long time."

"Ganondorf, huh?" The Red guardian asked. "He doesn't sound like a good guy."

"He isn't." The Hyrule princess said while shaking her head. "He has strong magical powers and he's looking for two things; The Triforce and something called a 'Keyhole'." She looked up into the sky. "We might be done for now if not for him."

This questioned the keyblade master. "Him? Who's he?"

"I sent him to get two of the spiritual stones before Ganondorf does...Hopefully he'll have them before Ganon does so he doesn't open the Sacred Realm to get it." She sighs. "Oh I hope Link is ok."

"...So now, where shall I find this 'Link'?" A dark voiced asked.

They were all surprised by the sound of this dark, sinister voice, and looked at the source of it to see it was who they wished to never meet; Ganondorf.

"Ganondorf!" Zelda said is shock, then looked at the four. "You must find Link quickly! He must be near Goron's City and heading here! Don't worry of me, I'll be fine!"

"W-Wait a minute Zelda!" The fox tried to say.

"JUST GO!"

The Hyrule princess then suddenly formed a light within her hands, and threw it at the saviors, instantly teleporting the heroes away from where they were. She sighed in relief, knowing they'll be ok, then back at the Green Gerudo. She knew he had plans for her.

* * *

><p>The four then appeared in a flash, again, and landed on the ground, again. Wait a second, that didn't happen, right? They also landed alright, on top of the Yellow fox.<p>

He was struggling to breathe greatly. After all, with having a small black cat, a middle sized Brown hedgehog, and a large Red echidna on you, you have all right to. "G-Get off!" He said.

They slowly got up from the ground they landed on to see they were near a small town again, but they were on a certain border of grass and Dirt-Brown...Dirt. They wondered on where they were, and if Zelda was ok.

"Someone! Someone help!" A voice yelled. They looked at where the voice came from, but didn't see anything until something usual came out; It was a Light-Blue light with fairy wings flying away from something. It wasn't until it found the four. "T-Thank goodness!" It stopped for them. "P-Please help!"

"Whoa now, hang on now." Tails said. "What's going on, and who are you?"

"My name is Navi, but that's not what I'm talking about! I-It's my friend! His name is Link and he's in trouble!"

The sound of that particular name made their eyes widen. This was why Zelda sent them here, to get to this 'Link' person. They nodded in agreement to help him.

"Thank you! He's being attacked by some sort of dark knights!" The fairy said. "P-Please follow me!" It quickly flew off with them following. Could this 'Link' person really be the one to stop this Ganondorf fiend? There was only one way to find out.

* * *

><p>They kept following the small glowing fairy to what appeared to be near a large set of mountains, but they weren't too far off from it until they saw someone wearing Green lying down being surrounded by Black Knights. This one wearing Green, was also a small nine year old boy; One that held blonde hair, wore a Green tunic with a same colored hat, a large sword, and a wooden shield made of tree bark.<p>

The small fairy gasped. "It's him! It's Link! And he's in trouble!"

"We've got them!" The keyblade master yelled as he summoned his keyblade to replace it his Kingdom Key with the Jibbering Jaberwolky and ran to the Black Knights with his three friends just behind. The Heartless knights heard them moving and planned to attack them, one of the swords clashing with the key-shaped blade. The two clashed with all their might just before the tides turned by the Dark-Caramel hedgehog activated his keyblade's ability to overpower the sword he could knock it away and slash through its chest.

Another was about to hit the blade master behind him without looking, but it was suddenly shot in the head with an arrow to knock it down, which caught his attention. He looked to see the small one, Link, now up. "You need a hand?" He asked in a young voice, while the other Black Knights fought the three others. The Knothole guardian pushed the blade from the Heartless out of the way so Kathy could take it out with her flames of darkness. Meanwhile the Yellow fox shot shards of Blizzard at the very last one to stop it dead in its track so that one of the blade holders could take it out, with the one taking it out being the small Hylian.

Once they were defeated, more Dark Knights came up. "Sheesh, they never give up, do they?!" Tails asked in anger.

"Then let's run for it! Link's safe!" Navi said.

Link nodded. "Let's get out of here!" He quickly ran off, with the others following suite to get away. After running for a while out of the large set of dirt, they finally entered into the grassy fields and gathered their breath for a bit. "Wow, I owe you guys!"

"So...You're Link?" The small cat asked. He nodded. "What happened there?"

"Oh that? Well I just finished going through the Fire Temple in Goron City and got the last Spiritual Stone from there." Link explained. "I was on my way back to Hyrule Castle but then those things came along. I would have been dead if it wasn't for you guys." He bowed to them. "I am in your debt."

"Hey, it was nothing." The echidna said.

Something of what the nine year old said caught the two-tailed fox's attention. "So what are these Spiritual Stones anyway?"

"It's something Ganondorf's after. There's three in all of existence. If they're together in a place called the Temple of Time, it'll open the Door to time, which holds the Master Sword, and the Sacred Realm." The small all-Green one said. "I was on my way back to Princess Zelda to give these to her."

This reminded all of them of what happened a bit ago. "That's right! Link, Zelda's in trouble! She was captured by Ganondorf and sent us here to look for you!"

The sound of that made his eyes widen. "What!? Then come on! Let's move!" He made a loud whistle , then after a while, a Brown horse came in to give him a ride. They all got onto it and quickly made their way back to Hyrule castle, hoping it won't be too late.


	14. A Link to Power - Part II

_**Chapter XIV: A Link to Power - Part II**_

The Brown hedgehog and his four other comrades, rode the small Hylian's horse back to Hyrule Castle. Along the way, the heroes explained to the smaller one on all that was happening and what Ganondorf was after.

He nodded while listening. "So, Ganondorf is also after this 'keyhole' thing, huh? Not just Zelda and the Triforce"

"Keyhole?" Navi asked. "I think I've heard of something like that! A legend only us fairies know, that and something known as the keyblade." The wielder looks at the small fairy. "And that must be you, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but do you remember where it is?"

"No...Sadly. Ever since it came around

"Well, either way, we HAVE to stop him from getting the Triforce. But first we have to save Zelda from Ganondorf and stop him." Link said.

"Of course. Any friend of yours that needs help is a friend of ours too." The Knothole fox said. "Besides, she risked herself to make sure we found you, so we owe her that much."

The sound of it made the young elf-human smile. "Thanks...Er..."

"Oh, my names Tails."

"Knuckles."

"...Kathy."

"Ken. The wielder of the keyblade."

Link nodded. "It's nice to meet you guys! Now let's get and stop Ganondorf!" He sped up on horse to get to the castle quicker.

* * *

><p>They all kept riding the horse as fast as it was capable of going just before they made it to the open bridge that led to the Castle town. They all dismounted from the horse, for it was really greatful for. I mean, it was unrealistically carrying five people at the same time, so of course it would. Regardless, they entered back into the castle town to get to the main castle itself, which was a large White castle with Green tips on it and was surrounded by a large set of gardens and fountains.<p>

They stopped quickly and looked around for any sight of the Hyrule princess, but saw no trace of her. "You think she's inside the castle?" The fox asked.

"I'm sure she is! She has to be!" Link said. He looked around again and noticed something this time; Zelda trying to run away but was ultimately stopped by darkness wrapping around and dragging her back to where she ran from. The very sight of it shocked and angered the Hyrule hero. "There she is! After her!" He pointed to where she was and they quickly ran to that direction.

At the same time, the young princess was still being dragged by the darkness wrapped around her, but it let go of her but in return left her in someone's arms; Ganondorf's. "Tried to get away to find your hero, hm?" He asked just before looking up to see the five making their way to where she was dragged, with their eyes open. "You've arrived. But you a truly setting your sights rather high, child." He was referring to Link since he was only nine, but ignored it completely and worried of the small girl.

"Let go of her!" He yelled and took out his small sword so he could rush toward the king of evil without a single thought due to his young nature of being rash, but all of that wasn't enough. The results of him rushing toward the villain was getting knocked back onto the ground by the swing of his sword being countered and overpowered by a single fist, and then picked up by being covered in darkness the same way Zelda was.

Seeing the darkness wrap around the young warrior scared the fairy. "Link!"

"He needs our help!" Knuckles said to them. They nodded and tried to run to help the young one, but they were stopped by multiple Large Body's and Black Knights.

The very sight of this angered the twilight cat. "...Get...Out of...Our way!" She then suddenly shot her iconic Black flames at them to send them back and burn, which was more vicious that before, just before their hearts were freed. Just when they were going to continue running to save Link, more of the same Heartless came out; Only difference was there were now twice as many of them.

"Jeez, they REALLY don't want us to pass!" Ken said just before summoning his Jibbering Jaberwolky keyblade and both of the Knothole knights taking out their weapons. "Alright then, let's just get past all these!"

They went of fighting against the two brands of the strongest Heartless as of now, while the darkness covering the young hero of Hyrule started to lift him up and move over to Ganondorf, who was the one controlling it. "Come now, did you really believe that one of your age can rid me once and for all?" He used the power of the darkness he controls to suddenly squeeze the small Hylain tightly, making him scream loudly and highly. "... You hold the Spiritual Stones in your possession, don't you kid?"

"Stop! Leave him alone!" Zelda said as she started hitting the dark lords leg, but was then grabbed by the neck and lifted so he could look at her dead in the eyes.

"Resist, and he dies."

This shocked her greatly. She didn't want to do that because if she did like what she did before again, everything will then mean nothing anymore. She closed her eyes and allowed what was happening to happen, while Ganondorf then contiuned to squeeze nearly all of the life out of the young body without a single hint of regret or feelings. He kept squeezing every bit of strength out of the young blonde-haired hero and made him faint, while also accidentally dropping three items; Three very beautiful and shining gems, Sapphire, Emerald, and Ruby. These very three were the Spiritual Stones to the sacred realm.

The very sight of them made the king of evil smile and pick them up just after letting go of the young Link. "The very first piece to the Sacred Realm is now with me...And..." He looks at the Hyrule princess. "Not only a Princess of Heart, but the very one to hold the Ocarina of Time." He looks around the small girl in a search to make sure he was correct and took something out; A Dark Blue ocarina.

Around the very same time, the four others finished off the last Black Knight they fought, and looked to see the one captured by Ganondorf's darkness on the ground unconscious. They ran to him in worry, but were suddenly sent away by a blast of energy from the cause of the young ones hurt.

"What...What did you do to him?!" The keyblade master asked in anger while getting up.

"If I were you, I'd advise you'd watch out for yourself than your allies." The Green skinned man simply said until something suddenly popped up from the ground; It was a large Black warrior with the same colored armor, ax, and helmet with the Heartless symbol on it. They didn't know what kind of Heartless it was, so the hedgehog dubbed it 'Necro Warrior'. "Have fun with him. This will be the only time you ever will." He flashed away in darkness to leave them with this large

The Heartless warrior lifted his large ax in preperation to take out the four left standing, making them prepared as well for whatever the ax wielder planned to do. The first action it took was obviously swinging the large weapon at them, only to which was blocked and dodged by three of the heroes except Knuckles since he used his shield to only stop what he could of the attack. Doing this saved him from getting hit, but also made him skid just by the force of the attack itself. However, this gave him the advantage to grab the ax so he could hold it in place.

Using this very opening to their advantage, both Kathy and Tails combined their fire abilities for dualcasting and shot it at the large Necro Heartless' chest to knock it backwards a bit. In doing so, it gave the Dark Caramel-furred Mobian enough time to activate the ability of his Jibbering Jaberwolky and increase the strength of his attempted slash in exchange for its speed and being light. However, he was too slow and his attempt ended up meaning nothing in the long run since around that time the Necro Warrior recovered and quickly tried to hit the hedgehog, but instead hit the swinging keyblade that aimed toward where the open area of the large Heartless.

Their clash sent Ken backwards and onto the ground with his weapon landing nearby, then got up and grabbed it. "This isn't getting anywhere for any of us!"

"Well do ya have any ideas then?" The Knothole guardian asked while he prepared his shield, and the hedgehog keyblade wielder looking at his weapon and at the Necro Warrior. He had an idea now.

"Knuckles! Let's take him together!"

The very sound of it made him smirk. "I like the sound of that!"

The two Mobians prepared their weapons and combined their strength to do their power of teamwork, by throwing their weapons at the large Heartless to hit it. While the key-shaped weapon flashed back into the owners hand, the shield owned by the echidna flew its way back to him like a boomerang so he could attack again. They both threw their weapons again and again, with the attacks getting stronger each and every hit that was impacted onto the Necro Warrior, eventually starting to overpower its guard. They finished their strongest form of teamwork by Knuckles throwing his shield into the air and the Dark Chocolate-colored then hitting it like a baseball with his Jibbering Jaberwolky keychain ability, quickly hitting the large one with all the power stored within it to cause the destruction of the guard via the large ax.

By doing this, both the mage fox and twilight cat quickly shot down the Necro Heartless with both of their flame abilities, with Tails adding in a bit of Thunder and Blizzard every now and again. The attacks of the two magical beings started to hurt it with little to no defense, but it was truly finished by a slash, but not just any other slash. Regardless, the very attack was able to defeat the heartless Gaonodorf left them and burst into Black smoke and the heart being freed alongside leaving something behind; Miku's pages, which now made forty two out of ninty nine. After it was defeated, it was revealed as to who it was that finished the Heartless off; Link.

The sight of him being ok made them sigh. "You're ok!" Kathy said.

"Link!" A voice said, revealing to be Navi, and started to circle around him. "Don't scare me like that! You had me worried!" She noticed something on Link; Sadness. "What's wrong?"

"It's Ganodorf. He took all of the Spritual Stones right under me." He said, which surprised him. "It's all because I got reckless and stupid that we're doomed. He's bound to get the Triforce now with that and the Ocarina of Time with him."

"Ocarina of Time? What's that?" Ken asked.

"It's an Ocarina that's also one of the four keys to entering the Sacred Realm. The Ocarina, the Song of Time played by it, the Spiritual Stones, and the Master Sword."

"Master Sword?"

"A blade to vanquish all evil, and no evil can touch it for its power except for the 'Hero of Time', which is me. Enough to rid of Ganondorf once and for all. But the door is locked by the Door of Time, which can only be opened by the Ocarina and Spiritual Stones."

The echidna then started to think about something. Which even surprises him! "If he wants that Tri-thing or whatever it is, he'd have to open it, right?" The Hylain nodded, making him smile, feeling he's onto something. "So then he just sealed his own way to that triangle then if he can't grab the sword!"

"I see where you think that, and that's true." The fairy said. "But that's also a double-edged sword. You're right on that being the only obstacle in his way, but with Ganondorf holding the three of the four items, it also prevents Link from getting the sword to defeat Ganondorf."

The sound of it made them sad, which made the young body sad. "I'm sorry guys. This is all my fault. I dragged you four into this"

Instead of being sad, the Brown hedgehog looked up and smirked. "It's alright, it's not anyone fault except Ganondorf's. He's the one who used Zelda, and we're going to stop him regardless. With or without that Master Sword."

"You...Still want to help me?" He asked in wonder. Did they actually forgive him?

"Of course! You're our friend!" Tails said.

"Anyone would've done that. Even me, and I'm not smart to begin with!" Knuckles said. So that must have meant he knew he was stupid but...Never mind.

"Same here. I'm here for you." Kathy said.

The young boy looked at his new friends with a smile, knowing he wasn't alone. "Thanks guys. I mean it." He then looked away to the sky seriously. "He's probably on his way to the Temple of Time now if he has all of them. Maybe we're lucky enough for him to not be smart enough to realize he needs the Master Sword to open the Sacred Realm! Let's go!" He quickly ran off to where this location was, with the four heroes of the worlds following with Navi just behind them.

* * *

><p>Ganondorf walked through a large area filled with White walls and a pathway that holds a checkerboard pattern on the sides of it. The pathway also led to an Black alter and a large door, which holds a picture of three Golden triangles making a pyramid; A picture of the Triforce.<p>

He kept making his way to it while also keeping the small princess of Hyrule nearby, and took out the spiritual stones to put it on the alter along with the Ocarina. "It's time." He said with a grin. "Now...Teach me the Song of Time." She looked at the dark lord sadly in defeat and, with her power, used telekinesis to teach him within his mind. He started playing the Song of Time with the Ocarina, and upon finishing it, the three gems glowed brightly along with the picture of the Triforce and opened the door that was sealed shut. "Perfect...Now, you must know of the keyhole, do you?" Her eyes widen. "Show me...Show me the keyhole."

"...I...I cannot. Only the power of the Triforce can reveal the path to it." She said.

The sound of it made him angry, but dealt with it instead and looked through the now open door to see what was stabbed into the ground; The Master Sword, for it was a sword with a White blade and a Blue guard with the symbol of the Triforce on it. The sight of this very weapon made him growl.

"Of course...It is the last key to the Sacred Realm...How could I forget?" He asked himself, but then remembered Link, giving him an idea.

* * *

><p>The Hylain and the other four made their way to the Temple of Time, looking around it in awe just by the looks of it alone, then at the open door that reveals the Master Sword.<p>

"Is that the-" The Knothole fox asked.

"I think so...The Master Sword." Link said. They all walked to where the legendary sword was.

The hedgehog waited for the Hero of Time to pick it up, but he did no such thing. "What's the hold up?"

"It's weird. The door was open and here it is just...Sitting here."

"You're right. It's a bit suspicious." Tails said. "I wonder if Ganondorf is wanting you to pull it out so he can get the Triforce."

"S-So what do we do then!? We have to save Zelda and Hyrule from him!" Navi said.

The wielder of the keyblade thought about that they should do. If he did pull it out, then he'll wield the only thing to stop Ganondorf, but it'll also open the way to the Sacred Realm where the Triforce lies. If there was any way of stopping him, even if it meant risking opening that pathway up, this was their only way. "...Link, pull it out." They were shocked by what he said.

"B-But it'll also-" Knuckles tried to say.

"I know that. But it's also the only way to stop Ganondorf and Hyrule." Ken said just before looking at his small friend. "Whatever happens, we've got your back. We all do."

Link smiled upon this. "Thanks Ken. You and your friends are good people." He looked and grabbed the wield of the Master Sword and pulled it out with a light then covering him from the very top. This indicated the pathway to the Sacred Realm was open. The young Hylain held the sword as best as he could, but it seemed a bit heavy for him. "B-But I don't get it! I'm suppose to be asleep in the Temple of Light within the Sacred Realm for seven years until I'm old enough to wield it! How am I..."

"I bet its the Sages! I think they can feel the darkness that's coming out!" The small fairy said. "They know you're not old enough yet, but they must be making this an exception because of...What were they called again? Heartless?"

"Wow Link...You're a lucky one." The Hazel hedgehog said, patting his small friends shoulder.

"I can't believe it. It was this easy! I owe you kid!" A dark voice said, whom everyone recognized , but they were all sent back from the light by a burst of wind. The source of it flew toward the light, revealing to be the one person they hope it wasn't; Ganondorf. He flew into the light was suddenly absorbed into it, entering the Sacred Realm before their eyes.

They all stared at where he entered in shock, knowing that because of the risk they took, it happened and now the dark lord was on his way to get the Triforce. At the same time, Zelda came in with shock on her face. "Link!"

"Z-Zelda!" He said as he quickly got up and ran to her. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine! But of Ganondorf...He will soon obtain the Triforce soon."

"Then we better stop him then! Don't worry, we'll make sure he doesn't get any farther than this!" The hedgehog said.

She nodded. "And Link...Use this when trouble emerges." She took out and showed the small Green-wearing boy a bow and arrows, but not just any arrows; Arrows made of pure light. "These are the Light Arrows, used to pierce evil. Use these when in need." He nodded and grabbed the weapons offered to him.

"Alright then, let's roll!" The keyblade master said with a smirk, and the five heroes entered into the light ray so they could enter the Sacred Realm.

By doing this, it left Zelda alone in the Temple of Time and she started to wait for the five. However, unknown to her, a figure walked behind her. She then looked behind her and gasped in shock.

* * *

><p>The five then dropped from a portal of light down onto a Light Blue platform that held six colored circles on the edges, and the picture of the Triforce in the middle of it. They looked around to see that the platform they were on was also filled with the same kind of platforms, and then noticed the king of evil was heading toward the Triforce in the sky.<p>

The sight of it shocked them. "Ganondorf! Stop!" Ken yelled. But it was too late; The Green skinned man touched the triangle, but instead of abosrving it into him, it suddenly split into three seperate triangles. "What the-"

"What-What is this?!" Ganondorf asked until the top one hit his hand, giving him a part of the Triforce; The Triforce of Power. The right triangle hit Links hand, giving him the Triforce of Courage, and the last one, nobody knew on where it went. Once the Triforce of Power entered into him, he was filled with electricty and fell into the very depths of Darkness.

"What...Just happened?" Kathy asked.

"He forgot something" Navi said. "His heart was unbalanced by power and the Triforce split into three. It must have been his own received power that hurt him." She stopped talking right before a burst of Black flames came from the abyss. "What the-?!"

From within the Black flames, a large figure came out from it to reveal to be Ganondorf, but not like before. He now held a more demonic and beastial appearance with his Red hair now long an flowing, two swords in both hands, and large horns on his head. **_"This is it...This is the power of the Triforce of Power. So long as I hold the power of the Triforce, I WILL take over Hyrule and soon..Black Doom!"_**

"Black...Doom?" The fox asked, then realized something. "You're also following Black Doom like Kazuya and Mr. Dark!"

"Black...Doom?" Link asked. He was wondering what they were even talking about.

**_"Silence! This will forever be your tomb, and all of the worlds shall belong to Ganon, the King of Evil!" _**

**_Enemy: Ganon; Wielder of the Triforce of Power_**

The power filled king of evil prepared his swords, with the five heroes preparing themselves for what was ahead, and quickly swung his sword down to create a large crater that resembled a slash from a sword on the platform, sending the five of them flying away from it and barely saving themselves from the fall. But both the Knothole knights barely had any time to recover since the other sword then aimed to them, which Knuckles did block from in front of Tails, but the great amount of force left behind the attack didn't necessarily stop them. They skidded across the platform and nearly fell off.

The very moment of nearly falling off, but didn't made the fox sigh in relief. "Thank goodness we didn't fall." And he just had to say it. The Red echidna suddenly sneezed, sending him backwards alongside the mage off the platform. "OH WHY ME!" They both fell off from the platform while screaming in fear, except Knuckles since he was just enjoying it, with Navi concerned for the two and flew in after them.

"TAILS! KNUCKLES!" Both Ken and Kathy yelled in shock, hoping for their friends to be alright. They looked up at Ganon while Link jumped away from any slashes that the large beast swung at him, but one particular slash knocked the small Hylian backwards.

"**This is pathetic. You all are not as strong as Black Doom says you are! You're a disgrace compared to Hamon, keyblade master!" **

That was the third time he heard that name from anyone in a different world aside from Traverse Town. "I don't get it! Who IS Hamon?!" Instead of answering his question, the powered up dark lord then decided to finish off the young one by slashing him. "LINK!" He quickly hurled his Jibbering Jaberwolky at the large blade, and doing so knocked it back a bit. "Link, now!"

The small one took advantage of this and slashed the hand of Ganon despite it being heavy for him, making him yell loudly by the swords power to repel evil. Despite it not doing much, Kathy started shooting he flames of Twilight at him, which also hurt him slightly since it was filled with light, but not enough as the legendary sword did. However, upon doing this, the large beast countered all of it by swinging his other sword toward them, to which the three dodged by doing a backflip. It kepy swinging its sword horizontally so he could hit something, but at that very moment Ken's guard was down, Ganon grabbed his other sword and swung it to finish him off. Upon seeing this and acting quickly, he switched to his Kingdom Key keychain and quickly swung at the ground with its ability activated to give him a bit of air.

"This isn't getting us anywhere!" Link said. "Do you have any other ideas we can use? Because I can't get a clear shot at him because he keeps swinging his sword around!"

The Hazel hedgehog started thinking quickly. He didn't have anything to help him as far as he was aware of. But then suddenly remembered something; Something someone said.

_"Call me whenever you want so we can give em a beat down!"_

Of course, how could he forget? Spyro; Spyro was the one to help. "Kathy! Link! Step back and hold him off as best as you can!" He twirled his keyblade and suddenly stabbed it into the ground. "Spyro! Come on out!" There was a sudden burst of Red and Purple flames coming out from the ground, then it all formed into an orb that flashed into a bright light, revealing to be the small Purple dragon himself.

"Hiya Ken, what's up?" He asked, but got his answer by him pointing at Ganon. "Cool! Perfect to beat up!"

"I need you help one something. See that kid in Green? He needs to shoot the arrows into him long enough to weaken him so he can defeat it! Think you can do that?"

The dragon only smirked. "Think I can? You just watch me!" He quickly flew off toward the young boy, which caught him off guard. "C'mon, get on! We're takin' this guy down!" Link nodded and got on top of Spyro, then they both took off and flew around Ganon.

The sight of it caught the dark lords attention and started swinging his sword around to catch them. He didn't have to worry of the other two since they held little to no impact of defeating the monster. While he swung his swords, trying to knock down the Purple dragon, the hero of time then took out his bow and Light Arrows and aimed it at any part of Ganon he could get. He shot the first one at his shoulder, making the king of evil yell in pain, then shot the other ones on the other shoulder the neck. In desperation, he tried to upperslash him but it was countered by a weapon, a certain Red shield covered in Blizzard mind you.

The sight of it made both of the cat and hedgehog look to see Knuckles and Tails back up. "Knuckles! Tails! You're ok!"

"As if we're done for!" The fox said with a smirk.

"Your finished Ganondorf!" Link yelled while still riding Spyro and preparing his final Light Arrow, and quickly shot it through it chest. In doing so, silenced the large beast and made part of its body fall on the side of the platform, hanging onto it so he wouldn't fall.

The Purple dragon then landed on the ground to let the Hylian off while everyone looked at the struggling Ganon. "Well, that's all the time I have!" He looks at the keyblade master while fading into particles. "Thanks for the fun, I had a blast!" He faded away back into the keyblade, leaving the heroes.

They all looked at the struggling man. "So...Now what?" The echidna asked.

"Let's let Link finish it." The Dark Caramel colored Mobian said while looking at his small friend. "It was your fight to begin with, and you're the one who deserves this more than we do."

He nodded with a smile. "Thank you Ken. You're a good friend for giving me this chance." He stared at the head of Ganon, prepared the Master Sword, and stabbed it into its head; Making the demon king yell in pain and essentially fade away into darkness for all they knew, but that very entity roamed around freely.

_**Ganon: Wielder of the Triforce of Power: Defeated**_

Upon defeating Ganondorf, the dark remains of him then suddenly flashed into a light, forming the keyhole to Hyrule. Once the keyblade master noticed it, he aimed his Kingdom Key at the glowing object and a ray of light shot from it and locked the keyhole.

This questioned the young boy. "What just happened?"

"That was the keyhole. The one from the legends." The small fairy said.

"I see..." Link said. "Anyway, let's head back to find Zelda!" He tried lifting up the sword into the air, and they were all consumed by a bright light, leaving the Sacred Realm.

* * *

><p>The heroes flashed back into where the Master Sword was held into the Temple of Time, then the small hero stabbed the sword into where it belonged, sealing down the path in and out of the Sacred Realm. "There, that'll stop him from escaping." He then turned around so he could look at Zelda, but there was a problem; She was nowhere to be seen. "Z-Zelda?" He quickly looked around now. "Where is she?!"<p>

"Not in this world anymore." A sinister voice said, making them look to see who it was; Black Doom. "Ganondorf has failed to find the keyhole...But we have gained more than just that as a counterbalance...The princess of heart."

"The princess of heart?" Link asked, then realized what he meant. "You mean Zelda!"

Something about the alien-looking villain made the key-shaped sword wielder feel wierd for some odd reason. Like he encountered him at some point. "So..You're...Black Doom, right?" Instead of answering him, again for the second time today, he faded away into darkness to leave them behind

"What is going on?" The young one asked.

The four other heroes debated on if they should tell him or not, but they agreed. "I think...We should explain." The twilight cat said.

* * *

><p>They explained everything about the Heartless and the keyholes to the young hero and the fairy. They listened and listened upon all this.<p>

"...So Zelda's really not in this world anymore." Link said. "Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go save her!"

"Uh...About that." Tails said. "I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but you can't come with us."

This hurt the Hylian. "W-W-What? Why not?"

"I wish we could, but you don't belong outside of your world." Ken explained to him. "I know you want to save the one you care for...But if we did that, who knows what'll happen." The small Green-wearing boy looked down sadly at his Ocarina. "I'd bring you with us if we could."

It was at that point, Navi thought about something. Even though she might have been jealous of Zelda for having possible feelings for Link while she indeed had feelings for him herself, would it make her feel any better if she was out of the picture? "Hey! Would it be possible to bring a fairy with you?"

"Huh?" They asked. This was a rather strange question.

"You heard me."

The fox thought of it. "I...Think so."

"Then its settled! I'm coming with you guys!" She said, which surprised everyone. "Admit it, if it wasn't for me, you'd never would have found Link. Besides...Zelda also helped bring you to us as well...So I at least owe her." She flew around the four. "You can take me, right?" The three looked at the blade master, who was thinking but then nodded just before she flew to Link now. "Don't worry Link, I'll find Zelda for you. I promise."

He smiled upon hearing that. He never felt so happy to have so many friends there for him. "Thanks guys...I appreciate it."

* * *

><p>While at the place that holds Black Doom, Kazuya, and someone else that held an unconscious Zelda; EX.<p>

The demon fighter only scoffed. "It's a shame...That power-mad freak would have rid of that rat if only you came to help him."

"He was a lost cause anyway. I brought the princess, right?" The Crimson hedgehog asked while putting the Hyrule princess down.

"Indeed...His power was beyond his own good, including with the Triforce of Power." The leader of darkness said. "Regardless...We have something that might intrest you, young hedgehog. See this as a reward for your participation." This confused the hedgehog of darkness. "We had a deal, yes?" He snapped his fingers to have the light show up to reveal a hologram of someone he recognizes sleeping; Katie. The sight of her surprised him greatly. "Go. Drek's vessel is waiting for you."

At that very time, the small suit-wearing man walked in. "The fleet is ready to take off. However, there will be some rather large meteors ahead, so prepare yourself."

The hedgehog was suddenly skeptical about this. "What's the catch to all this?"

"There is no catch." Black Doom said. "I only wish for your happiness."

He couldn't buy that. "Like hell you do." He walked off to follow Drek, leaving them.

While the alien watched him, he put his focus onto the sights of the keyblade master back in Hyrule. _"He is becoming more and more like Hamon...He may be a problem..."_ He thought.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in Hyrule, the four heroes and Navi said their goodbyes to Link for now.<p>

"I'll be back soon Link, and with Zelda with me! I promise!" She said until he poofed into sparkles into the keyblade so she could be a summon for him, like Spyro.

"Ken and friends...I wish the best of luck for you...And I wish for you to have this." He said as he handed the hedgehog something; A keychain that looks like the Ocarina of Time. "I saw you use these to fight."

"Yeah, that's right." He said just before he changed his Kingdom Key with the new keychain, changing the keyblade into something different; It now had a Gold triangle around the handle, with the inside being Blue, a Silver blade, and two triangles resembling the Triforce on the end; He called this the Triblade. He whistled upon the sight of it. "Now this is cool." He looks at him. "It was nice meeting you Link, and I promise to bring Zelda back."

"Thank you...And take care." The hero of time said.

They nodded and the four flashed in a bright light, leaving Link there alone. He looked up at the sky with a smile, knowing he could trust them with this task, and turned to walk away.

* * *

><p>The four of the flashed back into the X Tornado safe and sound, then the Yellow fox started it back up so they could fly to the next world.<p>

At the same time, Ken looked outside into space. "...Don't worry Link, I'll find her. I promise." The plane then flew off, ready for whatever was to happen.


	15. Little Big Problems

_**Chapter XV: Little Big Problems **_

About a few hours have passed since the four heroes stopped the mighty Ganondorf from Hyrule. Though at a price, Zelda was now gone and taken away by what they thought was the Heartless. Along the way, the hedgehog stared outside in space while Kathy ate some...Melon bread? Where did she get that from? Anyway, Knuckles was also polishing his guardian shield while Tails flew the X Tornado and wrote into what appeared to be a small book.

The Hazel Mobian kept his stare on the outside then toward his new keyblade; The Triblade. "Don't worry Link...I'll find Zelda. I promise." He looked over to the sunshine colored fox. "Hey Tails, what are you writing over there?"

"What, this?" He asked and showed them what it was; A journal. "I just remembered I brought this with me on our journey, so I decided to write in all that's happened to us. Figured maybe Amy, Cream, or maybe even Sonic would like to read it just to know on all that happened!"

"I see...So anyway. How far is it until our next world?"

The young fox checked. "Let's see...We've got this one place called 'Mushroom Kingdom' and...That's strange." He looked at it more. "It doesn't have a reading on the other one. Like it's an unknown one."

"An unknown world?" The echidna asked. "What's there?"

Ken shrugged. "I dunno, but we better check that place out first. Mushroom Kingdom can wait." Just as they were about to move on, there was a loud screech nearby, causing everything to shake. Upon encountering this, they looked around. "What...What was that?!"

Upon asking that, a large being slithered nearby and flew off to make a U-turn, and also looked at what it was; It looked more or less like a large head of a vacuum cleaner with a large plastic pipe attached to a ball of darkness, but it also held four Orange devil eyes, Purple horns and Teeth, and a vortex within its mouth. "W-What is that thing?" The cat asked.

"I don't know, but I don't wanna stay to find out!" The mage yelled and ran to the front of the large plane so he could turn off the auto-pilot and fly off manually. However, he was too slow and the large vaccum-like being begun to inhale strongly, sucking in and asteroids in the area and eventually the plane.

"We're too late! Better start giving out our last wishes!" The hedgehog yelled.

At that moment, Knuckles started praying. "I wish I never accidentally dropped Tails' toothbrush in the toilet that one time!"

They just stared at him in disgust. Did he really say that? "...YOU WHAT?!" The Yellow Mobian yelled in shock and anger just before they all got sucked in fully, seeing nothing but Purple and Dark Purple waves while their vehicle just spun around out of control. "WHY ME?!"

"G-Gu-" The keyblade master said but he suddenly felt his eyes closing against his will, filled with nothing but Black. But that darkness was destroyed within him by a light, a light that was much like a memory to him.

* * *

><p>"...It's true guys! I saw something in the caves!" A young Mobian said, running through the very area of Destiny Island to the secret place, revealed to be a young seven year old Ken. He ran inside alongside a young EX and Katie around the same age, and looked around the small cave. "It was here! I know it is! It was all small and Black and scary! It was a monster"<p>

"...A monster? Yeah right." The young Crimson hedgehog said. "You sure ya didn't make it up just to bring us here?"

"I mean it! I saw a monster! J-Just listen!"

They all stayed quiet, and they indeed heard a noise; The sound of the waterfall. Both the Red colored hedgehogs sighed a bit.

The young Katie looked at the small Brown one with a smile. "You goof. It was just the waterfall."

He sighed. "Aw man! I thought it was a monster!"

"You really wanna get us eaten up by one ya maroon?" Young EX asked, then looked around more to see the large Brown door. "What's that?" They looked at it while he walked to it so he could observe it. "There's nothing to open it with. When did this get here?"

"Is that all that's here?" Young Ken asked. "Aw, now that's boring!" He looked down sadly. "There's nothing cool here anymore.."

The Cherry-Red hedgehog then started thinking about something, then decided on it. "Hey! I have an idea!" They looked at her to hear it. "When we get older, let's go on adventure! Like, off the island!"

"I like the sound of that!" The small Crimson one said.

"But...What do we do until then?" The Dark Chocolate furred Mobian asked while they all started back at the entry.

"Well, did you hear about that baby cat they found near the beach?" Katie asked while they walked, but not before EX looked behind him to see something.

* * *

><p>The keyblade master suddenly woke up to see he was lying on a metal floor made of scraps of all kinds of metals. He got up and looked to see he was also somewhere filled with multiple other pieces of metal, and both the Knothole knights and the twilight cat looking up to where some falling objects such as a blocks of sponge, glass, and metals. But for some off reason, music sheets as well. The hedgehog knew full well of what those were and collected them, making this fifty four of Miku's lost songs.<p>

"Hey! What's going on up there?!" The fox yelled in anger.

The Brown one got up and walked to them. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Good to know you're alright." The echidna said. "Someone keeps throwing stuff down on us." He then begun talking like a professional. "And for today's forcast; Expect showers." A dumbbell then hits Tails in the head and knocks him down. "...Heavy showers!"

"Ow...Why me?" He asks before getting up. "Alright, who's there?!" He source of all the falling objects revealed itself from looking over the edge; It was a small Brown sackclothed humanoid with Black beady eyes and zipper on the middle of its chest. "What the...Who are you?!" It only smiled happily while taking out a large Green block, a navigation piece, and ran off with it.

"C-Come on! Let's follow it!" Ken said. They chased the small one down through the metal path.

_**X-Heart of the Negativatron-X**_

The heroes followed the small cloth being as close as they possibly could since it ran at such a fast pace. Along the way, the small one made it way to a broken down ship that held a waiting person there; It was a small bald man made of carboard and held a paper mache beard, while also wearing 3-D glasses and a Light Blue outfit.

The sight of the small sack thing made him smile. "Good to see you back Sack Thing! Found anything of value?" The sacklet then put down the Green block. "Oh! So you're saying that this thing can help our escape?"

"Hey! It's possible if he puts his mind to it." The fox said, which made the other two look at them.

"Why hello my fellow friends. Stuck in the Negativatron too?" The man asks.

"The..Negativatron?" Kathy asks.

"Yes, a monster that sucks up all creativity in Little Big Planet! He's a monster without remorse!" He said, then smiled. "Where are my manners? My name is...Er..." He quickly looks around his small ship to see a picture of the greatest inventor; Leonardo Da Vinci. "Le...Larry! Larry Da Vinci! And this is Sackboy, but we call him Sack Thing! And what is yours?"

"Tail, Knuckles and Kathy." The keyblade master said while pointing to them in that order. "And I'm Ken, Ken the hedgehog."

"Oh, really? I thought you were someone entirely different-"

"Let me guess, Hamon?" The hedgehog asked.

Larry nodded in astonishment. "How did you know?"

"I've just heard that name and getting confused as him a lot lately."

"Well this Hamon was one of the few people who have helped Sackboy long ago against the Collector! He's what helped draw our attention to Sack Thing for his help, and we never would have gotten this far without him. Correct Sack Thing?" The paper-made man asked, but held no response. "Oh come now, I know you don't talk but I hoped for you to-" He turned while talking to see the small cloth boy walking away into a dark cave. "Oh dear...Er, Sack Thing?"

"Where's he going?" Knuckles asked.

Larry only shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I worry of him. He might head into danger. He was always the curious kind."

"Then we better get to him fast before he gets into trouble." The Dark-Brown hedgehog said. "Come on, let's go find him." They nodded and walked into the dark cave made of many metals, seeing an entirety of it being made by it. They wondered if this was all this 'Negativatron' ate, and if that was true, then he definitely needed to not eat as much. Regardless, they found the small piece of cloth. "There you are Sackboy! Why did you walk off? You had Larry all worried. Come on, now's not the time to play right now."

Sackboy only stared since he was mute but was suddenly picked up by the head by a shadowy figure while shaking his arms and legs in fear. It was revealed on who the shadow was, which shocked them, Ken and Kathy especially; EX. "But Ken...I thought ya liked to play. Or do ya think you're better off without now that you hold that bloody keyblade of yours."

"Huh? EX?! What are you doing here?" The keyblade master asked.

"Oh you know...Just hangin' around with Sackboy." He said while dangling the small sacklet in his hand, then looked to see the small cat. "And I guess ya found Kathy. Good for ya, nice to know you bothered to find her than Katie."

"Katie? D-Did you find her?!"

The Crimson hedgehog smirked. "Perhaps...Catch me if you wanna know." He gripped on the head of the small sacklet and quickly ran off through one of small caves.

"EX! Wait!" The twilight cat said just before she ran after him.

"Kathy! Wait!" The fox said just before he and the others followed her. But in doing so, brought up a new kind of Heartless; One that looked much like a ghost that held an eye hanging out with a chain attached. Not sure of what to call it, they named it; Search Ghost. "Oh come on, even HERE too?!"

"They're everywhere! What did you expect out of the Heartless?!" The hedgehog said before summoning his Triblade keyblade and started toward the ghost heartless, but it avoided it just in time by disappearing just like a ghost actually would. Upon this happening, the blade hit the ground to signify that the attack didn't hit. "What the-Where did he go!?"

"I-I-It's a literal ghost!" The echidna said in fear. "HOLD ME!" He jumped into Kathy's arms, making her sweatdrop and just drop him right then and there. "Ow..."

"Please...Don't do that..." She said simply.

This annoyed the fox. "Can you stop fooling around for just a second and focus on finding that ghost?" He then noticed the Heartless then appear behind the hedgehog, making his eyes widen. "KEN, WATCH OUT!"

"Huh?" He asked just before looking behind him to see it about to claw him. "WHOA!" He used his weapon to defend himself, but instead, it accidentally activated the Triblade's ability; There was a melody of the Song of Time playing and suddenly slowed down time for him. He opened his eyes to see everything, even the heartless slowed down. "So this can slow down time?! Now THIS is awesome." He quickly ran behind the ghost and did a sudden sweep with his key-shaped weapon, destroying it and freeing the heart from within.

Upon doing that, time finally returned to normal. "H-Huh? What?" Knuckles asked while getting up. "What just happened? You were like as fast as Sonic!"

"No...It's because I slowed down time!" Ken said. "That's what this keyblade's ability is!" He then tried it again, but didn't work. "Huh...Maybe it needs a recharge or something."

"Or maybe it uses magic." Tails hypothesized. "At least you found a use for that kind of thing. You never really used Thunder or the others all that much."

He rubbed his quills. "Yeah...Guess I kinda forgot I had that." He shook his head. "Wait a second! Sackboy and EX! We need to get to them!"

"Right, let's head off to find them!"

The four continued to make their way to where both the hedgehog and the sacklet went toward.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the deepest of darkness of the heart of the beast, the hedgehog of darkness walked through it still until he walked into an area that led to many other ways, while still carrying Sackboy in his hand.<p>

"...Explain to me, why do you still harbor feelings for your past friend?" A voice asked, making EX stop suddenly and look at the source of it with his eyes to see it was Black Doom that said this. "He has deserted you for the weapon he bears and his two other companions. Him, and now your small cat friend."

"...C'mon, ya really think I meant it? I was just screwin' with him was all." He said.

"Of course you were. But we weary of the power of darkness within your vessel called a heart. The Heartless prey upon it."

"...Mind your own business ya three-eyed wanker."

This surprised the alien of darkness. "Very well...If that is what you wish." He disappeared into a flash of light, leaving him.

"...Good riddance. Now I can think without him gettin' in my way." He said, but then heard the sound of running toward him. He looked at it to see the Dark Caramel hedgehog, Black furred cat, and the two Knothole knights nearby. "...You won't give up, will ya?" He put the knitted one down, to which it ran away from him to the nearest tunnel that led somewhere, while the Crimson one then summoned out his weapon; Soul Eater.

The Brown hero only breathed heavily to catch his breath. "EX...What's even with you right now? You take Sackboy and run off. What's up with you lately?!"

"Really? Speak for yourself." He said to him bluntly. "All ya seem to be interested in now since we left the Islands is running around with that fancy keyblade of yours." The wielder looked at his Tripower keyblade sadly. "And Kathy there seems to be havin' the time of her life there."

"Y-You know that's now how it is." She said.

"That's all it seems to me. Both of you have just ditched us just to have your fun." He countered. "Tell me something Ken ol pal; Do ya even WANT to help and find Katie and the others?"

"What kind of question is THAT?! Of course I do!" He said. "Of course I-" There was a sudden roar that echoed in the area, which took them by surprise, and sudden lines of Purple energy formed onto the floor.

They wondered on what was going on until something suddenly came out from one of the tunnels, the very head of the Negativatron barging through and destroying part of the metal tunnels. Doing this caught them off guard. "It's the Negativatron!" The fox said until they all noticed that Sackboy was in its mouth, captured and held by metal bars. "And it has Sackboy!"

The darkness using hedgehog sighed. "Man...I need that little piece of cloth." He looks at his friend. "Ya up to this?"

He nodded. "Yeah, let's do it." The five of them prepared themselves to fight against this monstrosity in front of them.

_**Enemy: The Negativatron**_

The large vaccum-like being roared loudly and suddenly shot Purple blasts of energy from the top of its head and aimed toward the metal-made floor. The four heroes and anti-hero quickly jumped out of the way to avoid the damage. If this was how it was going to attack, then it was definitely an easy battle for them. The two fire users shot out their magic to combine both of their properties, the Knothole guardian bashing his shield against it, and both of the sword-like wielders then running toward the head of it together and begun to do a barrage of slashes. However, none of those attacks meant anything since it did little to no damage, and ever bit of those attacks were countered by a blast of a Purple beams from its eyes, knocking some of them back.

The Red echidna was able to block them due to his shield, but both Tails and Kathy were unlucky and got hit in the process. However, to both the Brown and Red hedgehogs, they were able to dodge it by both of their equally fast reflexes. "Any ideas on how to stop this guy?" Ken asked.

EX looked around on the large head to see four small brain-like objects hidden on its head. "There, on his head! Think you can hit that?"

"Not before you can." The Brown keyblade wielder said with a smirk.

The Negativatron then looked over to them and started shooting beams from its eyes to attack them, but due to their agility and reflexes like before, they were able to dodge it and decided to go different ways to confuse it. In doing this, the creativity-absorbing being wasn't entirely sure on what to do in terms of how to stop the both of them, but took too long and both of them lunged toward two of the brains. At the very last second, it shot two of the Purple balls of energy at them to send them back, but the ability of the Triblade quickly made use of this battle. It wielder then quickly recovered by doing a flip in midair and threw the keyblade at two of the brains before it appeared back into his hands, using the ability he then dubbed 'Strike Raid'.

It yelled in rage and pain until it worsened by the hedgehog of darkness then jumping up and stabbing his Soul Eater into the second to last brain it held. He jumped back just before the large vaccum head then covered itself in Purple electricity and started shooting the same property around the area they were in. Which the recovering fox and cat saw and jumped out of the way while Knuckles then just blocked it with his knightly shield.

The Hazel hedgehog ran from the attacks of lightning it created as fast as he could. "Sheesh, there's no way we can get near that last brain without getting hit!"

The Knothole mage looked around to find something they could use to help destroy that final piece, until he saw Knuckles shield. "Knuckles! Throw the shield up!"

"Huh?" He asked. "Well, ok!" He did what the fox requested and threw the shield up.

"Kathy, now!"

"Huh? O-Ok!" She said.

They both formed their flames of different properties and combined it so it could create a stronger form of Fire, and shot it at the shield. And by doing this, it bounced off the shield and hit the very last brain on the Negativatron, making it scream in defeat loudly. And while its weakened state, the Crimson hedgehog quickly slashed the teeth of the beast to free sackboy from within.

The fox smirked. "And that's what happens when I'm life's punching bag."

_**The Negativatron: Defeated**_

Due to the large ones defeat, the entire world they were now in begun to crumble and deteriorate. This worried the cat. "W-What's going on?"

"I think we just caused this place to start collapsing! We need to get on out of here!" The fox said but then the floor under them them collasped, making everyone fall.

* * *

><p>For the second time in a row, the Brown hedgehog started waking up again, but it wasn't as long as the last time. Perhaps at least a minute or two. He got up while hearing a voice and the area still crumbling.<p>

"Sack Thing? Sack Thing!" A voice yelled. He knew who's it belonged to. He finally got up to see the others still awake and up, and the source of the voice; Larry's. "Please! Return him at once!" He looked to see EX holding an unconscious Sackboy in his arms near the edge of a metal edge.

He shook his head. "Sorry, but I've got some buisness to settle with this piece of cloth."

"He's not a piece of cloth! He's family! He's like the son I've never had!"

"Yeah, and that's what make 'em unique. Somethin' like this havin' a heart and all. Maybe he's the answer to bringing a heart back."

This questioned the keyblade master. "Bringing a heart back?" His eyes widened upon the realization. "You mean Katie, don't you?!" Instead of responding to him, he just walked away on a tunnel behind him. He's gotten a good track record of this happening, huh? But regardless, he knew he had something to settle with him. "Tails... Knuckles...Take Kathy and Larry to their ships. I need to talk to EX."

This shocked them. "But this place is going to fall!" The echidna said.

"Just give me a minute! I need to also save Sackboy!"

"Not alone you're not!" The cardboard man said. "He's like family!"

He nodded. "Then don't get too far behind!" He grabbed the small man hand and they both jumped up to where their friends went so they could chase after them.

"Ken!" Tails yelled in disbelief, but then accepted it, knowing he'll make it, and ran off with the two others.

* * *

><p>Both the hedgehog and the paper mache beared man kept running until they stopped at a certain destination. It was a dead end, but it also held the ones they were looking for. "EX, stop this!" Ken yelled, which caught his attention and made him look. Meanwhile, Larry also saw the unconcious sack humanoid lying against a wall. "Let Sackboy go...You know doing this is bad."<p>

"You make it sound like I don't know that." He said. "But this thing might be the key to saving Katie's heart if he lost his heart." He offers his Golden gauntlet hand to him. "How 'bout it? Let's join forces so we can save her. "

It was true that he wants to save her. But to sacrifice someone's heart for the benefit of saving another? That doesn't make it any less better. In response of it, he summoned his Triblade keyblade. "...I'm not like you."

"What? You've got to be kiddin' me. You'd rather fight me over something that's just a sack of cloth?"

"He's not just cloth. He's a person, just like us." The hedgehog explained. "Everyone has a heart, and right now...It's one that'll continue to live on. And it's telling me..." He aims his legendary weapon at him. "...That you're on the wrong side of doing this!"

"...I see. So that's your choice." EX said sadly. "...Fine then. If that's what ya want." He summons a portal of darkness behind him and runs through to get out in time, leaving them.

Larry then starts running to Sackboy. "Sack Thing! Sack Thing! Are you ok?" To his happiness, the small knitted being woke and jumped up with a smile on its face. "Good to see you well little one! Now let's hurry!" The two of them ran past him, for he just stood there.

"...EX..." He just said to himself, but then quickly joined them in running away.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on the outside of the world, the Purple sphere the Negativatron formed them begun to explode into smaller explosions just before it quickly obliterated. Right after it did, the X Tornado flew through the explosions at a fast pace, with the Brown hedgehog now inside since he made it back before then.<p>

The fox sighed in relief. "Phew! That was a close call."

"Do...You think Larry and Sackboy are ok?" The twilight cat asked. But her question was answered by a small ship flying past them. "I-Is that..."

"It's them!" Knuckles said with a smile. They all watched both of the beings waving at them with a smile and kept flying off to their home. "I'm glad their ok. Good thing you helped save them Ken." He recieved no response. "Ken?" They all looked at the hedgehog to see him sad. "Hey now, don't get to sad!"

The small cat got sad too. "Don't worry, I know how you feel too."

The Dark Chocolate-colored hedgehog smiled at this. "Thanks Kathy, I mean it." He looks at everyone else. "So then, lets head off to that mystery world!"

"Mystery world it is!" Tails said with a smirk and quickly started up the plane at full speed so they could get to their next location.

* * *

><p>At the very same time, on a large battleship in space, the Crimson Mobian looked down at something that was lying on a small prison bed; A sleeping Katie. He gripped his fists in complete anger towards himself.<p>

"Do you see what is in front of you now?" A voice said while putting its Black hand on his shoulder, knowing it was Black Doom. "This is the very results of when one loses his or her very heart.

EX's teeth then ground each other. "There's gotta be another way...Is there?" He turns to him suddenly. "What is there left to do?! What else is there to try?!"

The lord of darkness laughed lightly. "There is...A way. There are seven women that contain the purest of hearts; The princesses of heart. And when they are together, the door that opens to the heart of all worlds will be revealed."

"And...I'll find her heart there, right?"

"Yes. And to do this, I present to you...Power." The alien said just before he rose his hand and closed it into a fist, making the Red one glow Green and yell a bit in pain. "For this power, I give you the command to control the Heartless to your disposal."

He only took this pain so that it could die down slowly, then looked at his female friend. "...I'll save you...One way or another...Even if I have to be in the darkness to do it..."


	16. The Darkness in Twilight - Part I

_**Chapter XVI: The Darkness in Twilight - Part 1**_

It was probably around thirty minutes since their escape from the Heart of the Negativatron. Unfortunately for them, they were captured by it just before they headed to a mystery world they found. With them now out of its grasp, they flew to the next world at full speed to make up for that lost time inside the being. Along the way, Ken just stared out in the window in his thoughts long before he started falling asleep from being worn out, with Kathy sleeping, and the two Knothole knights looking forward of the flying ship.

The Dark Chocolate hedgehog tried to not fall asleep, but didn't succeed in doing that and went into his small bit of slumber. Just when he did, he started dreaming again.

* * *

><p><em>"Well, did you hear about that baby cat they found near the beach?" The young Katie asked while she walked the small Ken, but not EX just yet. She noticed this and looked behind her. "Come on EX! Don't make us wait!" They waited for a bit just before he caught up and they all walked together.<em>

_"So someone found a baby cat near the beach?" The small Brown hedgehog asked._

_"Yeah! I heard she came from somewhere else outside of the islands!"_

_"Whoa, really?!"  
><em>

_"Yeah! We have to go see the baby! I've never seen one so close up!"_

_This made the Red one curious. "You've never seen a baby before?"_

_"No, and I want to see it! Especially if it came from near the beach!" She said, and she saw something while they all left the secret place; A young Deimos holding something in a blanket; A small baby cat. "Hey! Is that the baby?"_

_He looked up from it to look at them. "Yeah, it is!" He looked back at the small baby again to observe it while the three other small Mobians looked at it. "She's cute, isn't she?" _

_"Yeah, she is!" Young Ken said, but then saw something attached to the blanket; A piece of paper. He grabbed it and read it out loud. "...Kathy." He looks at the little one. "Oh, so her name's Kathy!" The very sound of that name woke her up, then started crying. _

_"Hey...It's ok. We're going to take good care of you." The small Black hedgehog said with a smile._

* * *

><p>The Brown hedgehog suddenly woke up from the memory, but unlike this one he was able to remember it. The last one of that woman with the two keyblade floating near her was one he knew he didn't know. Though the thought of her made him wonder; Who was that girl from before? For some odd reason, he felt like he knew her from before. Instead of questioning it further, he looked over to his small cat friend with a smile, knowing that he's at least glad that after being left on the sand of the island that she was ok.<p>

"Hey guys! We're here!" The fox yelled, which woke the twilight cat up to look at the world. This one was a small town that was covered in darkness, but also held a small bit of light while it rained heavily. "This is it. Thought...It's so dark there. I've never seen so much darkness in one world before."

"You think there's Heartless down there like all the other worlds?" The echidna asked.

"I don't know, but this is FAR different than what we've been to. This isn't even just Heartless darkness. It's filled with so many negative emotions."

Kathy then walked over to look at it, and for some odd reason, her eyes brightened. "...Land."

This surprised them. "Huh?" They all asked.

"Land."

The fox sighed. "Well, we're gonna have to get in then. But not like what we are now."

"So, what do you have in mind then?" The keyblade master asked.

"Well we'd have to be in a whole new form to blend in for a bit. But with my magic, that's possible!" Tails said with a smile. "Here we go!" He pressed a button that turned them into light and shot at the dark world.

* * *

><p>Upon arrival, the four heroes flashed onto the Black and dead grass of a lawn in front of a destroyed house. When the light faded away, they were in a whole different form; Ken now took the form a Brown humanoid cat with fluffy fur and ears, but wore the same clothes.<p>

He observed himself of his new form. "What the- I'm a freaking cat!" He looked at both the guardian and mage, seeing they too were cats. "And you guys are cats too!"

"Uh...Tails, why a cat?" Knuckles asked.

"That's the largest population of this world, so the transformation magic just went on its own." He explained. "Though...It kinda feels weird being something entirely different."

"Tell me about it." The hedgehog said just before looking around where they were at while Kathy did the very same. The world they were in was a completely deserted town to the point where it's a ghost town, covered in dark clouds and did nothing but rain. It was light, but still rained regardless. "...You know...I can't help but feel sad about this place."

"Sad? How come?"

"I don't know...It just does. Like a lot has happened here."

"But...It feels relaxing." The twilight cat said, which took them by surprise the second time. She seemed really alright with this world.

The echidna then looked around again to see a beat up sign, and picked it up to read it. He struggled with it, but he was able to. "HedgeHaven."

"HedgeHaven?" The Dark Caramel-colored Mobian asked. "So I guess this place was a good one before." He looks forward on a street. "Well, guess we better check this place out." They all walked down to that direction while a mysterious and evilish male cat watched them.

"...Kathy...You've returned." He said coldly, not liking the sound of it, an disappeared into the shadows.

_**X-HedgeHaven-X**_

They kept walking through the dark and empty streets, not seeing a single thing filled with life inside. Could the Heartless have gotten to this world too? Perhaps they were too late and this world was already taken. Just before they decided to move onto the next world, Mushroom Kingdom, they heard a ear-piercing scream for help.

The sound of that caught their attention. "What was that?!" The use-to-be-hedgehog asked, but recieved no response. Then again, he wasn't expecting one. He and the other ran to the source of it to see what it was; A small Tanish hedgehog-cat and, a cat creature, and a hybrid of a wolf-dragon being attacked by a new brand of Heartless, which appeared to be sludgy-like monsters with unusual Red eyes instead of Yellow, and a Heartless symbol on the head while it screeched loudly. As of now, they dubbed it 'Sludge Screachers'.

"They need out help!" The Red guardian stated and quickly took out his shield to suddenly hurl it at one of the Sludgy Heartless, killing it off in out simple attack. By doing this, they knew it was weaker than your regular Shadow Heartless. And in doing this, it caught the Heartless' attention and started moving toward them by gripping the floor and dragging themselves quickly. However, in exchange for it being weak, they were extremely fast,

The sludgy beings of darkness surrounded them quickly, catching them offguard and unsure what to do with how fast they were with the exception of preparing themselves and the other two taking out their weapons. Upon seeing how fast they moved, this made the keyblade wielder remember of his Triblade's ability. "I've got this!" He activated its ability while his weapon glowed Yellow and the melody of the Song of Time playing, slowing the enemies down drastically. "My turn..." He qucikly slashed and destroyed the Heartless, and freed their hearts.

The ability of slowing down time then deactivated and returned time back into its natural flow. Once the Heartless disappeared, they walked to the three. "Are...Are you ok?" Kathy asked.

The three looked at her, revealing their looks. The wolf-dragon had Grey Fox features but Blonde hair that has Black in the front, and wore a Black top, pants, shoes and Blue fingerless gloves. The biggest feature of her was having one Blue and one Red eye. The cat creature was White but wears a Blue and Black scarf. And finally, the other was the hedgehog cat, who was Tanish but held Brown hair, Yellow eyes, and has a fox-ish like tail.

The cat creature only stared at the Black cat in thought, feeling he saw her before, but then his eyes brighten. "Kathy!"

This made the other two smile. "Kathy!"

All of them suddenly hugged the cat, which took them all by surprise.

"You know them?" The once fox asked, but she only shook her head.

They all stopped hugging her. "It's been so long...I knew you'd be back...But I thought you'd be here by being eighteen. Not at...Eleven years old." The cat creature said, then looked at them. "Then you must be her friends."

"Yep, that's right." Ken said. "I'm Ken. And this is Tails and Knuckles." He crossed his arms. "So what happened back there? Did they just up and attack you?"

"Yeah! We were going to find food but we got attacked out in the open!" The cat-hedgehog said.

This made the cat creature think a bit. "Then maybe...What if they're after Scythe now?!" Their eyes widened. "We should find him quickly!" He looks at the three. "I'm sorry to ask you this, but can you help us search for him? There's a possibility that we'll run into more along the way."

The three of them then grouped together. "I say we help. After all, they're Kathy's friends."

"Or so we know." Tails countered. "She doesn't even know them as far as she knows."

"That's true...But why don't we find out by doing it anyway?" Knuckles asked. "We're strong enough to take on whatever happens."

They looked at him with a smile. "You're right." They stop grouping together and look at them. "Alright, we'll help. No problem."

"Thank you!" The creature said. "By the way, my name's Kyo!"

"Juliet!" The wolf-dragon hybrid said with a wide smile.

The hedgehog-fox then grabbed Kathy's hand in support. "Cathy." This surprised the four of them that both Kathy and Cathy shared the same names, but ignored it and went off with them, while the male figure just watched them from the distance, then disappeared into darkness.

* * *

><p>The group of seven quietly ran through the empty streets so they could reach the location this 'Scythe' person was at. Along the way, they talked silently.<p>

The now Brown cat was ready to ask of something. "So how do you guys know Kathy anyway?"

"We were told she'd return back here." Kyo explained. "But Scythe knows much more about it than most of us do."

"I don't like the sound of that name. Sounds like he'd kill us the second he sees us."

"Nah, he wouldn't. Not unless you gets on his nerves."

The very sound of that made the three gulp loudly in fear just by the complete fear of it. But their focus was put onto something else; Soldier Heartless and Earth Rockers, which is the kind of Heartless they haven't seen in a while. Doing this prepared the four heroes for whatever could happen, but they were suddenly slashed down by a large sword. Its owner was Purple hedgehog with Black hair on the top and end of his quills, Green eyes, and wore a Purple shirt with the same colored shoes, and Black pants and scarf.

The Purple one looked behind him to look at them. "...Hiya."

"Wow Scythe. You pick the best of times." Cathy said.

He nodded and noticed Kathy, which took him by surprise, especially with her Purple flames. "You...You're back. But you're suppose to be eighteen before you..." He gripped his forehead in anger. "Alright, who's the one who brought her here?"

"That would be us." The knothole mage said. "I'm Tails, and this is Knuckles and Ken. We're friends of hers."

"...Then you three are idiots for bringing her here at this age now." Scythe said simpily. "But...Whatever. It's too late now." He looks around and points to an abandoned store. "In there, hurry." They all quickly ran into the dust filled building, having all kinds of bugs crawling around. "Now...I'm going to ask you what you're-"

"Actually, I want to ask you something in return." The keyblade master intterupted him, making the killer hedgehog annoyed. "Cathy with a C and the others said she was suppose to be her and they act like they know her. Is she really from this world?"

The very sound of that made him scoff. "You're as dumb as you look. Of course she came from here. It's her home." This surprised the heroes, Kathy included. All these years of living on Destiny Island was not how her life started; It was here at HedgeHaven. "It's the place where her life here started...And ended."

"...Huh? Ended?" The twilight cat asked.

He nodded. "And at a young age, I'm surprised you even can control your powers at a young age...I was hoping you'd come back here at the proper age when your powers of Twilight fully matured...But looks like I got a little too hopeful." He stared at the other three in anger, making them a bit uncomfortable.

"Speaking of that, why does she have those powers anyway?" The use-to-be fox asked. "She has the full capability of being around the light, but darkness is preventing her from doing that and just in Twilight. Usually darkness from the outside is the cause of it.

"Yeah, you're half right there. You know, you're kind of smart for an idiot." Scythe said, which made the sunshine colored cat angry. "But there's more to it than that." He crossed his arms. "Let me tell you a bit of something..." He looks at the Purple highlighted cat. "It's all about your parents." All of their eyes widened upon hearing that. "Your mom and dad were the reasons your existed, but both of them were complete opposites. Your mother held one of the brightest lights in this place, but your father...He was the opposite. He hated all, and he was true darkness."

Kathy looked down in thought, which made the keyblade wielder wonder. "So was it because both of their hearts became one with each other?"

"No, that's not the case. Because no matter how much one denies it, there's always a small bit of light in darkness. And her light prevailed and Kathy..." The Purple killer said while staring at her "...She was once the being filled with her mothers light. And your father hated you for it and avoided you for the longest amount of time. But what he was doing in reality, was wait for the perfect moment where your light was weak enough to have darkness infect it, and the very evil of killing your own mother along with it. Half of your very heart broke that day, and became one with the darkness." He points at her hands. "You hold your moms flame, and you hold his darkness. You are the one that holds both the brightest light while the very polar tried to overcome it through the evilist of emotions. You are...You are the true twilight."

Everyone in the room was shocked by what they all heard, and the cat of twilight finally understood. She held the power of both her parents, both of which are the opposite. She smiled knowing of who she really was, and understood it all. "...Was she good?"

"A very good person. She was also one of the people that cared for Juliet and Cathy when they were little, and when she died...They were left with Kyo to care for them...Even thought I never understood much of her at first when I was twelve, she was from all I heard." Scythe said. "Anyway, now its you three's turn. Why are you here? I've never seen you here at all."

"Oh yeah! We're here to find the keyhole!" Knuckles said, but both the Brown, Black, and Yellow cats quickly covered his mouth. The sound of what he just said questioned all of them.

"He means we're from a town far away!" The mage said.

"Yeah! That's it!" The Dark Caramel mobian said.

This made Cathy curious now. "...What's the keyhole?"

"There's nothing like that here!" The killer said suddenly. "You were misled!"

The Tan cat looked at him with pouty eyes. "But Scythe! What if it's important?"

"And I'm saying there's nothing like that here! That's the end of it!" He snapped at her with fire in his eyes, silencing everyone. "...You're not leaving here now. It's dangerous out there."

This made her angry. "We'll I'm looking for it!" She quickly ran off out of the house.

"H-Hang on!" Juliet yelled and quickly followed.

The four heroes watched them run off and followed her afterward, leaving Scythe to just stand here and Kyo nearby. He looks at the small cat creature. "...Watch them." He nodded and flew off to do what he was requested to do.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the keyblade master and his friends, alongside Juliet, kept running to follow Cathy to where she was running toward. She ran into an old abandoned and wooden house, and entered in with her.<p>

"Cathy? Where are you?" Kathy asked, looking around to see the Tan cat observing a part of a wall that held something that seemed like something was placed there before. "Cathy...Why did you run?"

She looked at them with a smile. "Because I want to find that keyhole!" The three of four heroes looked at the use-to-be echidna in anger, making him rub his back head a bit. "I always had the feeling that this part of the wall was holding something cool since something was there for a long time! Maybe this is where that keyhole is!"

"Uh...But what about Scythe?" Ken asked.

"Don't worry about him! Let's just go find something that'll fit for this!" She looks around. "Say, have you ever felt like there's more places than just this?"

This worried them. "Uh...What do you mean?" Tails asked.

"I mean that there's probably more than just this place here. Like there's a place filled with those cool beaches or something filled with a lot of light. D-Does it sound weird?" Cathy asked, only to be given the response of a shake of their heads. "Good. Anyway, let's find that keyhole!"

All of them started searching through the old house, while at the entrance, Kyo watched and listened to every word they just said and quickly flew off once again. They kept searching, but found nothing so far with the exception of the hero finding more music sheets. It now made sixty six of Miku's lost songs. But regarding that, nothing was found.

All the while, Kathy looked through some debris from within and finally found something. It was a portrait to be hung specifually for a wall, but what it held surprised her; It was a picture of her mom, who had her fur, holding a baby Kathy. And to also add, it also had her father included. She was filled with such amazement that something this was around still for such a long time and it was all in one piece. She started tearing up upon seeing this, knowing she got to see her own mother for the first time ever. Her eyes filled with light and her fur color, it truly was her.

She got up and walked back to where that spot that held the area of something being placed before, and looked at it while the other gathered around to see if it would work. She placed it on the spot and stood back.

They all watched it for a bit to see if it worked. "Um...Is something suppose to happen?" Juliet asked. Her question was answered when it started glowing a bit, making their eyes widen.

"That's far enough!" A voice yelled, making them look to see it was someone from before; Scythe. He looked at the glowing picture with his eyes wide. "Like hell you are!" He quickly ran to it and took out his large sword from his back.

They knew what he was about to do. "No!" Both Kathy and Cathy yelled. But it did nothing as the sword wielder then did a cross slash onto the picture, separating it into four pieces. The very sight of that shocked everyone.

"W-Why would you..." The Tan cat asked in shock, then started to tear up since she felt like that he had to do that to stop her. The twilight cat did the same, but for different reasons. She quickly ran out of the house sadly, leaving them all there.

The hedgehog only sighed and looked at them. "...I advise you to leave this world and leave Kathy here."

"World?" The Wolf-Dragon hybrid asked. "What does he mean?"

"World? What are you talking about?" Ken lied.

"Don't act dumb with me. I know of the keyblade." The killer said, shocking three of the heroes since the cat only cried. "That weapon is not from the world of HedgeHaven. And you should know that as the one who wields it, that you cannot tamper with other worlds. You know that." He points to the crying cat. "In this world, Kathy was planned to stop her father at the age of eighteen. Because of you, you brought meddling in this world." He turns around. "I expect you three to leave here at once, and leave her to deal with her own affairs."

He walks out to leave them, hoping to see them gone. The three heroes look at each other in wonder, figuring out on what to do.

* * *

><p>While somewhere else, Cathy only sat against a wall with tears running down her eyes still. What Scythe did hurt her because all she wanted to do was to find it, and that's it. There was nothing wrong with that. "Why did he have to do that?" She asked.<p>

"Is something the wrong child?" A voice asked. She looked to see that this person was in a Black cloak with a hood. "Why this sorrow? Helping those such as yourself is what I am best at."

"W-Well I-"

"Let me guess...You wish to see other worlds, do you now?" The being asked, which she nodded. "I see...Well, it's also true of Kathy and her friends being from other worlds." This surprised the small cat. "But it's because of the young Brown one's weapon; The keyblade. However...You hold some something as well..." This person removed the hood, revealing to be a Black cat with Yellow eyes and having a Tan mussel instead of White. It was revealed to be one person and one person only; Kathy's dad. "Now...Listen to what you must do..."


	17. The Darkness in Twilight - Part II

_**Chapter XVII: The Darkness in Twilight - Part II**_

It was a while since of what Scythe had done recently. Doing what he did earlier hurt Cathy, but she got over it quickly since she now had something to do. She wanted to know if there truly was any other worlds out there. The words of what Kathy's father said to her echoed in her mind.

_"I believe this 'keyhole' you seek in within the very same place you all gathered upon their arrival. But first, in order to open it, you must acquire one of the worlds last powerful beings in this worlds weapon; Scythe's sword. Do this, and your wish shall be granted to seek other worlds." _

She now wondered if this truly was a good idea, but she also wanted to see the other worlds herself. She believed that Scythe was still in the store the all grouped up in, so she decided to check. And believe it or not, she indeed found him along with Kyo.

The killer hedgehog looked over to her. "...If you're here to ask if I'm sorry, then I'm not."

"Um...Can I borrow your sword?" She asked.

This made him suspicious. "Why? Give me a reason to."

"This." A voice said. The very sound of it made them look to see the source of the sound appearing through darkness.

* * *

><p>At the very same time, the four heroes, plus Juliet, were still inside the old and worn out house. Both of the Knothole knights were comforting the still sad Kathy. What Scythe did a while back really did hurt, and they understood he wanted to make a point. But not like that.<p>

The use-to-be echidna looked at the Brown cat. "W-What do you think? Should we listen to him?"

"No, we're not leaving her here." He said. "I know that she has to do it herself but...We can't just-"

"No...no, it's ok." Kathy said simpily, and slowly got up. "If it's suppose to happen like that...Then you'll..."

This made the keyblade master frustrated a bit. "Kathy, are you even listening to yourself right now? Who cares about what Scythe has to say? We're your friends, and we all made it this far together. Even if what he says about you facing your dad is true...You shouldn't do it alone."

The twilight cat didn't respond to that and only just listened and paid no mind to him. But their tension was cut off by a scream getting closer and closer to them until it barged through, revealing to be Kyo. "Guys! We need help! Big time!"

"Huh? What's up?" Tails asked.

"It's Scythe and Cathy! Someone is attacking them!"

The very sound of that made them shocked and worried. They quickly got up. "Then lead the way to them Kyo!" Ken said. He nodded and quickly fled to lead the way to the four of them. For some reason, the Black cat had a bad feeling about what was soon to happen.

* * *

><p>A large amount of darkness covered and swirled over Scythe, whom was screaming loudly in complete pain and weakness, and the one controlling it was the source of the voice from before; Kathy's dad, whom was holding the hedgehog's sword and hearing his hood. He knew it was his victory now, which made him laugh.<p>

"Oh how easy it was to obtain this sword of the most powerful one as of this time!" He said, then looked at the fearstrucken Cathy. "And I never would have done it without you."

"No, please! I didn't want this to happen to him!" She yelled.

"But why not? Did you not wish to seek the other worlds? Very well then...I will send you into a new world everyone knows well enough; Death." He said simpily. He was about to slam down the sword after rising it, but the attack was countered by what appeared to be a blade; The Kingdom Key keyblade. "Hm? You?"

The very sight of what Kathy's dad planned to do made the use-to-be hedgehog's blood boil. "You've got...A LOT of nerve to do this!" He pushed the sword back, surprising the cat of darkness by his strength alone.

"You...You have extraordinary strength, I'm impressed...But you should know that only Kathy can truly defeat me, for she holds my darkness and her mothers light." Kathy's dad said, then felt like something was behind him. He looked to see it was Tails, Juliet, and Knuckles, and a wide-eyed Kathy. This was truly her first time meeting any of her family, and here he was in front of her. He smiled darkly upon seeing her and taking off his hood. "...So...You're here."

"D-Dad?" She asked.

The sound of her voice made him annoyed, and looked straight into her eyes. While both him and her mother shared the same eye color, she shared her mothers eyes more than his. "...Those eyes...I can't stand it...They remind me so much of your mother." His teeth ground in anger. "Why...Why do you share more of her light than my darkness? And why must you share her eyes instead of mine? Why must you exist the way you are? Why couldn't my darkness overcome your light?!" Those words hurt her slightly, but she knew of what he was and he needed to be dealt with soon. "...Kathy, you know what's to happen soon, where you and I must fight to see if you can truly stop me with your small once of light from the power of twilight." He turned away from her. "...Meet me where your fate changed...The park of where your mother burned by my darkness. It is there we will settle it all...Once and for all."

He disappeared into darkness to leave them alone. Everyone looked at Black cat, wondering if she was going to accept is request. She knew she had to deal with him sooner or later, but was she ready to at this age?

Scythe tried to get up now, but was weak from all the darkness that was inflicted onto him. The Tan cat started helping him up. "He...He has the sword...We must get it back."

At that point, she nodded, which surprised them. "A-Are you sure Kathy?" Juliet asked.

"Yeah...I have to." She said.

"Well not alone you're not." Ken stated while putting his hand on her shoulder. "...We're here for you through all this." Both the Red and Sunshine Yellow Mobians walked to her with a smile.

"Right, you're never alone." Tails said.

"It's the four of us, always and now." Knuckles said.

It was now the Wolf-Dragon hybrid's turn. "I'm also right behind you!"

She just stared at them in disbelief. Were they really wanting to risk their lives just to help her with something only she could do? She didn't know on how to answer that but only nod.

They smiled and the keyblade master looked at Cathy. "Cathy, Kyo, watch over Scythe. He seems to be pretty weak right now, so be sure he gets some rest."

"O-Of course...It was my fault all this happened in the first place." She said sadly with a nod and smile. The four heroes, with Juliet included, ran off to find the area Kathy's dad waited for her.

* * *

><p>The cat of pure darkness awaited in the cold and deadish park filled with trees that were tipped over for Kathy while talking to a figure; Black Doom. "So...Allow me to get this straight. There really is this thing called the 'Keyhole' and those beings from around this very area are known as the 'Heartless', which can be stopped by this weapon known as the 'keyblade'?"<p>

"Indeed. I am here to give you an offer. The very power to control the Heartless. Knowing of your power, you could control this world rather easily." He said to him.

The cat thought about it, then quickly made up his mind. "...Perhaps you should back off. This is my fight, and I want no assistance. It makes one rather weak if I do believe as such."

"I see...Very well. I hope for your battle to work well." Black Doom said before he faded away.

The dark cat only closed his eyes now, for he knew he was prepared now. "...You've arrived, and brought your comrades with you instead of coming alone..." He turned to see it was them; Kathy and the others. "...You must know that having to rely of them will only make you weaker and not stronger. They'll only get in your way."

"That's a lie and she knows it!" The Hazel cat said just after summoning his Triblade keyblade. "Apparently you fail to realize a single thing about friends since you probably didn't have any! Even when things get bad, she knows she can just rely on us! We're here every step of the way!"

"We're all friends, and we stick together!" The Red one said now while preparing his shield.

"And it's going to stay like the for a long time!" The Knothole mage said, preparing his staff.

"Yeah! What they said!" Juliet said.

Kathy's father only just stared at them, and then most importantly his daughter herself. "I see...So that's what you believe in. Very well..." He snapped his fingers to recreate Scythe's sword into his hand. "Then it will not just be you, but your friends will suffer the very same fate as your mother!"

_**Enemy: Kathy's Father**_

He aimed the sword at them in preparation, ready for any attack they planned to pull. The first attack came from Juliet, who planned to attack by a swing kick with the help of her flying ability. However, that attack didn't work as effectively as she thought it might since he only faded away into darkness momentarily and reappeared behind her. This caught the Wolf-Dragon hybrid off guard and ended up getting punched in the back and sent away onto the ground. Doing this one hit knocked her out entirely since she wasn't as strong as the others were.

"Juliet!" The use-to-be fox yelled. "Ken! Kathy! Triple team!"

"Right!" He said. All three of the cats then grouped up and formed Fire spells in their hands or their weapons, and upon finishing, they started to quickly shoot out a barrage of it with everything they had in their power toward the twilight cat's father. He saw this and quickly dodged the attacks with little to no effort on his end of the attack. "This isn't getting us anywhere! Split!" The three split quickly and ran in different directions. Both Tails and Kathy attacked from side to side while the Dark Caramel cat ran in the middle and activated his keyblade's ability, making it slow down time. "Now it's my turn!"

Using how the flow of time was now, he quickly attempted a slash toward his chest, but something surprised him; Kathy's father was actually able to counter it by stopping the attack with the sword. "...Did you really expect me to be weak of such attacks? If this is from the wielder of the weapon Black Doom fear of, then you truly are weak." Putting a large amount of force into the sword, he was able to push the weapons master backwards and also deactivating the Triblade's keychain ability.

Upon being sent back, this shocked the Brown cat. "He...He just cancelled out my keychain's ability. How did he do that?"

Meanwhile, both the Yellow and Black cats quickly shot out their attacks of fire, with the cat of darkness avoding Kathy's fire but also taking the mage's since it did little to no damage to him. However, unknown to him, Knuckles was also behind them and also deflected all of the twilight cats attacks toward her father. "Gotcha now!" He said, though he just had to knowing everyone's luck. Kathy's father saw this and quickly rid them by the slash of Scythe's sword, destroying it into a mist of darkness. "...I just had to say it, huh?"

"WHY DID YOU THEN?!" Tails asked in anger.

By seeing this alone, this made the Black male cat grind his teeth. "To think...Such a cat with low intelligence would nearly hit me of such a power...He must be disposed of." He quickly flashed away and reappeared into and from darkness in front of the Knothole guardian and grabbed him by the neck to strangle him. The use-to-be echidna started choking by the lack of air.

"Knuckles!" Ken yelled, but then growled. "Alright, no choice then!" He aims his keyblade into the air. "Navi! We need your help here!" It was then Blue sparkles started coming out from the tip and formed a small ball of light made of the same color, then it exploded into the fairy they knew. "Navi! Help us out here!"

"Got you covered Ken!" Navi said and quickly flew around Kathy's dad. "Hey! Over here!" The cat looked over to her and attempted to slash her in half, but she was quick enough to dodge it and spill a bit of her trail of light around the Red cat. Doing this woke him up a bit and attempted to punch the one holding him, but he was instead the one taken down by a punch. "I'm sorry Ken! I tried!"

"Don't worry about it! Just go save Juliet!"

"On it!" She quickly tried to make her way over to her but was stopped by the end of a sword knocking her away; Scythe's sword. "I-I'm sorry Ken!" She quickly faded away against her will back into the keyblade, shocking him.

"N-Navi?! Navi!" The keyblade master asked in worry, and was just about to be attacked by the sword in Kathy's dad's hand, but it was pushed away by a Black flame; Kathy's flame.

With this happening, the cat of darkness growled. "You've pushed my anger to my limit girl!" He then shot darkness out of his hand to attack the small cat, but someone got in the way to take the hit; Tails. He simply just fell over to the side unconsciously. This shocked the twilight cat and only looked at her father. "...You have brought this upon yourself. It's because of you and you alone that your friends lie where they are now."

"W-Wha-" She asked.

"Instead of doing it all on your own, you brought your very friends with you to do the fighting and defending for you. You let them become part of what you were forced to go through, and here they are now...Lying beneath your feet. You are weak, Kathy, and relying on those with you only make you weak...Just like how your mother died...She relied on those by her said to assist you...And now they are one with the ground six feet below."

She only looked down sadly. It was because of allowing them to help her that they're hurt and lying on the ground. She never should have let them be a part of her own problem. "That's a crap lie and we all know it!" A voice said and got in front of her, making her look up to see who it was; Ken with his Keychain on Kingdom Key. "As a team and friends, we made it this far! And no matter what happens and what problems she has to face alone, she won't have to! And even if we have to take hits and get hurt physically, emotionally, or mentally along the way...So long as we help one another, that's all that matters! She's not alone anymore, and no rule about meddling or not will stop that!"

"What? You mean you're willing to take every attack just to prove this point, even through death?"

He nodded. "We're friends, and we stick together in the toughest of times." He offers a part of the keyblade to her. "...Grab it. So we can take this guy down...Together."

She only stared at him, then at the handle just before she grabbed it. Upon doing this, the Brown one glowed White while the cat of twilight glowed a darker Grey, also unlocking her fullest of powers.

"What...Is this?" Kathy's dad asked.

His answer was given to him when the two cats ran at opposite directions with their glowing auras, and started to attack through both light and twilight by grabbing the weapon once again and swung it together. Doing so caused slashes of light and Grey to be left behind, and also hurting the cat of darkness. Each and every slash they delivered became stronger and stronger, while also more and more overpowering through both of their powers. They finally finished off their attack by jumping away and dove down into him using both of their powers, effortlessly defeating him.

_**Kathy's Father: Defeated**_

The attack sent Kathy's father back with half of his robes destroyed while the two landed on the ground. "K-Kathy..." He dropped down in weakness and also forgot about Scythe's sword. "...I will come back, and you won't be as lucky...You will perish like your mother..." He faded away into darkness, but they both knew that it wasn't going to be the last time they saw him. However, he left the sword that was owned by the killer hedgehog.

"...I will see him again." Kathy said, making the Brown keyblade master look. "...And when he does...I'll know what to do. I'll have my friends help me."

"Yeah, and we'll all be there to help." Ken said with a smile and grabbed Scythe's sword. "Come on, let's wake them up and return this back." She nodded and they both went to their friends.

* * *

><p>The heroes returned back to where Scythe, Cathy, and Kyo were at and retrieved his sword back. And once it was returned, the Tan cat looked down sadly. "Scythe...I'm sorry. I caused all of this."<p>

"...No, it's me that should be sorry." He said, which surprised everyone. "It's because of how I acted that caused these events in the first place. I had to protect you all despite how I may not care...Even by destroying memories that were never shown to Kathy."

The sound of 'memories' made the Red cat remember something. "Oh yeah! Why did you destroy that picture anyway?"

"Because...It led to this worlds keyhole." This shocked them. "But you must understand something. If it was put into the wrong hands, all it would bring even more ruin than what this world can already take. And also...To make sure I would trust the wielder of the keyblade master. I always thought that they'd just bring more destruction...But I guess I was wrong." He stabs the sword into the ground near the use-to-be hedgehog's feet. "Use this...It also holds the power to reveal the keyhole."

"But...Where is it?" The twilight cat asked.

"...Come on Kit Kat...You should know where it is clearly."

She thought about it and remembered where it is he's talking about; Kathy's old house. "...Let's go find it."

* * *

><p>The heroes, with Juliet and Cathy with them, made their way back into the old house so they could get to the area the picture was destroyed. The keyblade master then stabbed the sword into where it was, to which created mists of light and darkness into a wall of misty twilight with a keyhole on it. As a complete reaction, he held out his Triblade keyblade toward it to shoot out a laser of light into it, created a locking noise and caused it to fade away while the very dark sky started to light up, making it shine brightly.<p>

Cathy just looked in awe, then at the Brown cat. "Hey...Ken, was it? What's your home like?"

"O-Oh...That." He said while rubbing his ears. "Sorry about lying to you about that. We just needed to keep it a secret."

"Oh, it's ok. It's that...One day I want to see what kinds of places there all!"

Tails smiled. "You will...It's just a matter of time."

"I hope so." She said with a smile.

* * *

><p>"...So then, you're leaving?" Scythe asked, while the three heroes, with no Kathy for some reason, were on their way back to the X Tornado. And everyone were saying their goodbyes.<p>

The Brown cat nodded. "Yeah, we have to. We still have more worlds to save." He looks down slightly. "I...I hope for you guys to take care of Kathy?"

"Yeah, I know. It's her world and all. Don't worry, we will."

"Thanks. She did a lot for us, and she deserves to be in her home." Tails said.

"Remember to come back anytime!" Kyo said.

The keyblade master nodded. "We will." He looks at the Knothole knights. "...Let's go." They both nodded and begun to flash away, but not before looking at the world one last time, since this was where they and the twilight cat split ways for the sake of having her fill her role for this world. They finally flashed away and left them.

Upon them leaving, the cat creature looked at the killer hedgehog. "You knew she wanted to, right?"

He nodded with a devilish smirk. "Right."

* * *

><p>The three finally appeared back into the X Tornado, back into their normal forms, and sat down so they could fly off.<p>

The hedgehog sighed. "Glad everyone down there's happy again...Even Kathy."

"Yeah...I'm going to miss her." Knuckles said.

"Miss who?" A voice asked. Their eyes widened and looked behind them to see who it was; Kathy.

"K-Kathy?!" The fox mage asked. "H-How did you-Why are you-"

"Did you really think I'd stay there and leave you guys with what's happening? I want...I want to stay with you guys, until all of this is over. I-If that's ok."

The three heroes looked at each other and then had the largest smiles just before looking back. "Kathy...Welcome aboard to the team! Next stop is the Mushroom Kingdom!"

She smiled and sat down right until the plane flew off to the next world, not only as a group, but as friends.


	18. Mushroom Mania - Part I

**_Chapter XVIII: Mushroom Mania - Part I_**

Possibly an hour has passed since their arrival and depart on HedgeHaven, and they earned more than just locking the keyhole; They earned an even stronger friendship with the twilight cat than ever before. But regardless, they were finally on their way to the next world; Mushroom Kingdom. Along the way, Ken looked outside in complete thought while staring at the Blackness of space. Since Kathy met her father, it made him wonder if his father, if he truly had one, was out there and alive. He then looked away and then down with his eyes closed, wanting to concentrate on the very thought of him and tried to remember if he could.

_"Jasmine...Ashen...Ken...I'm sorry for creating all this...One day, I will set this right."_

This made the hedgehog's eyes open and widen so he could look around. "Uh...Did you guys hear someone?"

"Huh? I didn't hear anything." Tails said.

"Not me." The echidna said.

"Huh? Really? It was just me?" The Brown one asked.

"Yep, pretty much!"

This annoyed the hedgehog a bit by what Knuckles said, but his attention was put onto something else; It was a large set of land filled with multiple acres of land filled with mountains, glaciers, beaches, islands, volcanoes, and finally a large White and Red castle. All of this was also dark, but not like it was back in HedgeHaven. "Is that it? Mushroom Kingdom?"

"It seems like it. But what's up with it being dark?" The fox asked in wonder.

"Um...The Heartless maybe?" Kathy asked.

"I don't know...But let's find out!"

They quickly zapped through the front of the plane by the laser shooting at them from the top and into the world they assumed it was.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>X-Mushroom Kingdom-X<strong>_

The four heroes appeared onto the grassy lands of the world, but there was more to it than just that. Everywhere it held Halloween decorations all over on the trees, walls of the large castle, and on small town buildings while everyone of the civilians ranging from small Toadstools with a variety of colors were wearing costumes to fit the decorations.

"Wow, Halloween's coming around, huh?" The keyblade master said and looked at the heroes, only to stare at him in shock, which he did the same since their looks are different. Tails was now a bit Green with hit Yellow and held decorations on him that looked like Frankenstein, the Red guardian was now Grey and turned into the looks of a Zombie, and Kathy, whom had the least bit of changes, was dressed like a witch now instead of her normal clothes, but nothing else changed. "You guys changed!"

"So did you!" The zombie echidna said to show him his relflection.

The hedgehog then looked at it to see he was a combination of a hedgehog and a werewolf; A werehog. He now had his shoes ripped up along with his gloves, but now had White hair on his wrists, back quills, and feet. He took this new look by surprise. "Whoa, now THIS is freaky! Tails, did you do this?"

"No, actually...This world must have done it." The mage explained. "This place is filled with a ton of magic that can just about do anything. So I guess just about anything could happen."

It was then at that particular point, Search Ghosts came out from the ground. The very sight of them made them jump and prepare themselves, but there was something weird about it; They didn't attack. Instead, they started doing a small dance. This confused them greatly.

They heard a laugh. "It works! It really works!" They all looked at it was from a rather short man wearing a small lab coat, Blue pants, and Brown shoes, and also had a small piece of his remaining hair standing up and wore weird glasses. While with him was a rather plump man wearing a Red shirt and Cap with a White 'M' on it, Blue overalls, White gloves, and Brown shoes with a Black mustache and large nose. "You see Mario? They worked like a charm!"

He only laughed cheerfully. "Of-a course they did Profess-a E. Gadd! This is almost perfect!" He observed them however. "But...They-a seem a little off."

"A little off? What makes you say that?"

"Well-a...They're a lil off sync, ya know?"

"Oooh, I see what you mean. Well then, let's go fix it then!"

The two walked away from the pack of Heartless ghost and the four heroes, whom looked at each other. "I say we follow them. I mean, how cool would it be to see dancing Heartless?"

"Yeah!" Grey echidna said, but looked over to the hallowfied fox and doing so made him change his tune. "Uh...I mean..."

"Well...I am curious on how they even did it." Tails said. "I mean, if we can know how they even controlled the Heartless in the first place, we could have one less enemy in our way."

"Yeah, that could help us big time." The werehog said. "So then, let's go see them!" They all followed both E. Gadd and Mario to where they went toward.

* * *

><p>"Hm...I just don't understand it." The small professor said while both him and the Red plumber were inside a small lab with one of the Ghostly Heartless chained to a table while another being wondered around aimlessly and observed everything. This being was a small and adorable Green dinosaur-like animal with a White stomach, something Red on his back, and life-filled Blue eyes. "This thing just doesn't want to work with us, even after using the device for it! What is it we're lacking?"<p>

Mario stared thinking a bit. "Hm...Well it's-a called-a...What was it again? Oh yeah, a Heartless! Well...What if we-a give it a heart?"

"Oooh, Yoshi love hearts! Because hearts mean love!" The Green dino said, making the Red hero smile and pet his head.

"Hoho, that's-a right Yoshi. They mean-a love too. Now Profess-a, could you make a heart?"

The small man only played with his hair in thought. "Hm...Well, maybe I could!" He takes out a rather large book and starts reading through it. "First...MAKE a heart with a lock on it. Well that's easy!" He pulls a rope and in doing so caused a heart-shaped heart with a Keyhole on it from a hole on the ceiling, landing in his hand. Yoshi tried to grab it so he could eat it, but every attempt didn't work. "Perfect. Now, do you have the key?"

"Oh, the key?"

"Yes...The key, Mario." He said while Ken and the others arrived to see what their doing.

"Oh...Um...No, I don't." The plumber said with a sweatdrop and rubbing his head.

The keyblade master looked at his other friends, waiting for any objections, and then to the others. "Excuse me, but I think I can help."

They all took notice of them, to which shocked and scared the small dino. "I-It's a werewolf!" He hides behind E. Gadd. "Don't hurt Yoshi!"

"Hey, don't worry little guy. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help you guys help."

"Really?" Mario asked. "Well now, how about you-a show me how-a you can!"

"Sure, no problem." The Dark Caramel werehog said and walked over to the heart in the professors hands, summoned out his Triblade keyblade, and shot a laser on light into it, hearing an unlocking sound. "There we go."

The Red hatted man stared at what he just did. "Whoa now-a! Now that was-a amazing! Thank you very much...Um..." He starts thinking. "Have I-a seen you somewhere?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm Ken. And with me is Knuckles, Tails, and Kathy."

He smiled and walked over to them and offered each and every one of them a hand shake. "Why hello there! My name's-a Mario!" He looks at the weapon wielder now. "Thank you again my friend. Would you like to be-a part of this years Halloween in the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"But I'm curious about something." Tails said. "What's a Heartless doing here anyway?"

"Oh, you're curious about that?" E. Gadd asked. "Well to answer your question, they just came up one day and Mario thought it'd be a good idea to use them for this years Halloween."

The plump man just smiled. "Hey-a now. We want-a make this the best Halloween Princess Peach has ever seen!" He then put his focus on the lying Search Ghost. "Now then...Let's get-a to work!"

"Right..." The small man said as he took out at least four items; A Red mushroom with Black cartoon eyes, a Red and Yellow flower with the same features, a Yellow star with the same eyes, and a Brown leaf. "Here we go! Now, let it begin!" He pulled a switch on the wall to create lightning to come out of the chains that held it. They awaited for any results and got it, but was the one they weren't wanting; Instead, it exploded in front of their faces and just comedically covered them in ashes. "...Oh dear...It looks like it failed."

"Oh, it-a looks like that eh?" Mario asked sarcastically and shook the ashes off alongside Yoshi. "What-a even happened?"

"Hm...Maybe we're missing another ingredient for the heart! What else is there we could use?"

The three just started thinking, but the Green dinosaur was thinking of something entirely different now; Food. "Oooh, Yoshi no like thinking! Yoshi need food now! Maybe mushroom pizza!"

The word 'mushroom' clicked something in the Red hatted one. "Mushroom! Of-a course! We could-a try-a Green Mushroom! Maybe Luigi has one."

"Luigi? Who's he? A friend?" The zombie echidna asked.

"Why, he's-a my young-a twin broth-a! I'm-a certain he it! So now-a, Ken and-a friends. Shall we go?"

The four nodded and followed the Red plumber outside, however, unknown to them, someone was listening to them. It was a small Koopa, who looked much like Bowser but had his Orange hair tied up.

Upon hearing about the 'heart', he begun thinking. "So they making a heart for the Heartless? I know what this means! Tell Papa Koopa!"

* * *

><p>"So where's your brother? He could be anywhere." Ken asked while they walked out of E. Gadds lab.<p>

"Oh now-a don't worry. He's-a easy to find." The Red hatted one said, but they all something that caught their attention. A man who looked much like Mario, except Green and taller, passed them quickly as if he was running from something.

"Mario! Heeelp!" He said.

They were about to ask what it was he needed help with, but their answer came not a bit later. He was being chased by Shadows, Soldiers, and Search Ghosts. The very sight of them surprised them. How could the Ghostly Heartless have gotten out of their control? Did the experiment with the heart cause it? Instead of asking any further questions, the five ran after to help him. They stopped after the Green version of the Red plumber fell down and begun getting swarmed by the Heartless.

The sight of him getting attacked angered him. "Hey-a now! Get off-a my broth-a!" He said just before he took out a large wooden hammer and swung it toward some of the monsters of darkness, destroying two of the Shadows within the group.

This very swing started the conflict between the heroes and the Heartless, making the other four prepare themselves. The Hazel werehog summoned his Triblade keyblade and swung toward the last of the weaker beings of darkness and took down one of the four soldiers. But they were taken care of by both Knuckles and Kathy easily, especially the twilight cat since she awakened her full powers since the battle against her dad in HedgeHaven. All that was left now was the Search Ghosts now, whom disappeared.

By them doing this, the zombified guardian looked at his cat friend in fear, which made her annoyed. "Don't...Even... Think about it again." She said simply.

The ghosts appeared behind both the keyblade master and Tails, which they both noticed and quickly reacted by the both of them shooting their Blizzard spells, only taking out one of the but also sent the last one back. So he could deal the finishing blow, the werehog switched his recent weapon to his Jibbering Jaberwolky keyblade so he could run to attack, but Mario was where the ghostly Heartless was heading toward. He swung the wood hammer into the last remaining ghost, sending back toward the keyblade master.

The legendary weapon glowed within the wielders grasp, activating the keychain's ability, and prepared to swing it. "Batter up!" He swung it into its head, not only destroying it but also freeing its heart. "And that's that!"

"Oh, are they all gone young chaps?" A voice asked, making them look to see who it was. It was a old Toadstool with Brown spots on the top and a White mustace, and wore a Purple vest with glasses. "I say, a good show! A very good show Master Mario!" He notices the others. "And you must be friends of him I assume?"

The witchy Black cat nodded. "Yes. We're friends."

"Oh good! Very good! A friend of Master Mario's is a friend of mine! I am Toadsworth, very nice to meet you all."

Around the same time, Luigi started getting in a bit of fear. "M-Mario Is that-a you?" He looks around to see it's him, but no Heartless, making him sigh in relief. "Oh thank-a goodness."

"It's-a good to see you too Luigi." Mario said to him with a smile. "Luigi, do you have-a Green Mushroom with ya?"

"Oh? Yes, of cours-a broth-a." He said back while taking something out of his pocket; A Green mushroom. Upon seeing it, the older brother took it and observed it with a smile.

"It's-a perfect! This will-a work great!"

"Um...M-Mario? Are you-a sure you want-a do this? It-a just doesn't-a feel right."

"Of-a course Luigi! Once-a we-a give the Heartless a heart, they'll-a do what we-a tell 'em to!" The Red hero said, which made his younger one worry. "Now don't-a worry. Nothing will-a go bad!"

"Well if we want to try that thing out, we should head back to E. Gadd's lab." The Frankenstein fox said.

Mario nodded. "Why of course-a! Let's-a get-a goin'!" He led the heroes back to the lab, with both the Green hero and small Toadstool following to see it for themselves.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, inside the throne room from a completely sinister castle, the small Koopa explained to the one sitting on the throne of what he heard from before; King Bowser Koopa himself.<p>

He listened to him while grinning more and more just before he laughed. "A heart huh? That little plumber really thinks that making a heart will help?"

"Yep, that's right Papa! If it works, you can control those Heartless and beat that Mario!" The little Koppa, Bowser Jr, said.

The Koopa King only smiled and patted the small ones head. "That's my boy. Just like a real Koopa!" He laughed more. "Oh when I get my hands on that heart, I can control the Heartless and beat that Black Doom once and for all!" He looked at his small son now. "Go kido, get me that heart!"

"Will do papa!" He ran off outside to obtain it now for his father.

The sight of it made him smile. "Oh I raised that kid well!" He sits back down on the throne. "It's like killing four birds with one stone! I'll get that heart to control the Heartless, beat that Mario, control the Mushroom Kingdom, and finally have...You!" He looks to his left to look at a cage, and within it held the girl that was in his posession; Princess Peach.

"No you won't! Mario will stop you like he always does!" She said to him.

He just grinned. "We'll see about that."

* * *

><p>Back in E. Gadd's lab, both the small scientist and Red plumber gathered the full ingredients and mixed it within the heart, making it glow brightly. E. Gadd picked it up. "This is good! Now, let's try it again this time!" He walked over to the lying Search Ghost again, ready to try it again, but he was interrupted by someone tripping him. Doing this made him fall over. "Gadzooks!"<p>

He fell on the floor with stars flying over his head while the heart flew in the air but was grabbed by the cause of it; Bowser Jr. "Thanks! See you later losers!" He jumped out of an open window, which shocked them.

"Who...Was that?" Ken asked.

"It was-a Bows-a Jr! Come on! Let's-a go!" Mario said. "Yoshi and-a Luigi, watch ov-a E. Gadd!"

The hero ran off with the other four to follow where the small Koopa was going so they could take back what was stolen from them, but saw him take a small pellet from nowhere and slam it into the ground, creating what appeared to be a Green pipe. He jumped in to leave the heroes, who slowed down to look at it. "Huh? What is this?"

"It's-a Warp-a Pipe! Let's-a go quickly!"

The Red plumber quickly jumped in to follow it, leaving the heroes to look at it in question. But the werehog looked at Knuckles. "You first."

"H-Hey now! I don't want any part of-" He tried to say but they pushed him into it, making him scream in fear at first but started yelling in trill. They could hear it due to the echo. The other three jumped in one at a time now so they could follow Mario and help him reclaim E. Gadd's artificial heart.


	19. Mushroom Mania - Part II

_**Chapter XIX: Mushroom Mania - Part II**_

It only took perhaps at least two minutes to get through the Warp Pipe that led to where the small Koopa known as Bowser Jr. Upon reaching their destination, Mario only jumped out of it and landing on his feet, while Ken and and the other three just popped out and fell into a large pile, and knowing Tails' luck, he was the one on the bottom.

The Grey echidna only relaxed. "Boy, that was a soft landing."

"...It was soft landing because you LANDED on ME!" The fox said. "So PLEASE get off of me!" The quickly got off of him, letting him get up. "Sheesh...Thanks."

At the same time, the Red hatted plumber looked up from where he was to see that nearby, and where the small Koopa was running to, was a sinister castle that was Gold, Grey, and Black. He knew this castle very well. "Of-a course! I knew that-s Bows-a was up to no good! I don't event want-a know on what he'll-a do with that-a heart."

"Then let's chase him down before that guys gets a hold of it then!" The Dark Chocolate werehog said, but they were stopped right before they could chase after the little one, which were Search Ghosts and Large Body's, which looked more sinister considering it was now Halloween. The sight of them made him growl lowly and summon his keyblade. "Oh come on already!"

He quickly rushed toward them with his his Jibbering Jaberwolky all ready while it glowed brightly to indicate it's ability is now active, and, while slow, heavily slashed into one of the Large Body's first since it was slow, sending backwards with darkness leaking out of where it was slashed on. While it was sent away, the other Large Body swung it's large arm at him to send him backwards, but his feet landed onto what looked like a shield, Knuckle's shield. The keyblade master nodded toward him in appreciation, switched his keyblade into his Kingdom Key, and jumped toward the one that attacked him so he could activate its ability and quickly slash over him at a fast pace, taking it out.

While both Kathy and Mario dealt with the ghostly Heartless, the last Large body glowed in a sparkly but darkish Purple aura and ran toward the Brown Mobian, only to be put to a stop by the fox mage's spell of Blizzard covering his feet, and both him and the legendary weapon wielder took it out by shooting more of the same spell at him to cover it with ice. Taking this chance, the keyblade master quickly slashed through the ice, which caused it to shatter in front of him. However, once they were destroyed, more Large Body's surround the both of them.

The very sight of them made the Green fox moan in annoyance. "Just MY luck!"

"I don't have time for this! Time to speed this fighting up!" The Dark Caramel one said just before he stabbed his weapon into the ground to create the Purple and Red flames coming out. "Spyro! I need some help here!" Upon saying this, the flames formed into an orb and broke upon finishing, creating the small Purple dragon.

Upon landing on the ground, he looked over to him and smirked. "Can't do much without me, eh?"

"Not by much! Now work your magic on these guys!"

"Oh I'll do more than just THAT!" Spyro said before putting his attention on the other obese Heartless. His first moves were shooting out a stream of Fire as breath out of his mouth, making them burn slightly, then added something nobody expected to come out of a dragon; Electricity breath coming out that also shocked them to a large degree. And finished it off with shooting Ice out and charged into them so they could shatter. He was able to make short work out of them and did the very same with the last other ones, defeating them without giving the Green and Brown animals a chance to attack.

The very sight of what he was capable of shocked Ken. "Ok, ok, HANG ON NOW!" Spyro looks at him. "You're a DRAGON. How can you shoot lightning and ice out of your mouth?! I thought dragons only shot fire!"

"Thank my friend Bianca for helping me with that. If it wasn't for her, you'd probably be as dead as Gnasty Gnork when we're done here!"

"Really? Wow...I NEED to summon you more."

The dragon only scoffed while he faded away. "Tell me about it, but I had fun! Call me up again sometime! It gets lonely in there!" He faded back into the keyblade, leaving the heroes.

"Yeah, I plan to." The werehog said before ridding the weapon for later use, and looked at the castle after dealing with the Heartless that were in their way. "Let's hurry on in!"

"Let's-a go already!" The plumber said just before running in, with them following now.

* * *

><p>Back within the throne room, Bower Jr. entered into the area with the artificial heart in hands toward King Bowser. The very sight of it made the large Koopa chuckle. "Good job kid! I knew ya had it in ya!"<p>

Just when his son was about to give it to him, both Mario, Ken, and the others came in just in the nick of time. The plump man looked to see the tradeoff, and something that caught his eyes greatly; Princess Peach in the cage. "Princess!"

This caught her attention and made her eyes brighten greatly. "Mario!"

It also caught the Koopa King's attention too, along with the son. "Mario! I just knew ya had to come in here! And with that guy that looks like Hamon with ya!"

"Hamon?" The wielder asked. "You know about Hamon?"

"Bows-a! Let-a go of the princess and giv-a back that-a heart!" The Italian plumber said in anger, but the handoff was already done.

"Oh, you want this?" Bowser asked while waving the heart teasingly. "Then how about ya come over and get it?!" He threw it into air with his mouth open, and did something that shocked everyone. He swallowed and ate the heart, which made him laugh and get up from his throne. "Finally, I've got full control of Heartless! Now to summon them by my command! Heartless, come on out by the order of King Bowser!" He crossed his arms to show how mighty he was, but instead of summoning the strongest of the monsters of darkness, he only summoned Shadows. "What?! You've got to be kidding me!" He growled in anger and simply destroyed them in anger. "Nobody disrespects the King of Koopas! NOBODY!"

He started down the stairs that lead to his throne, making it rumble and scare Bower Jr a bit. "Here we-a go!" Mario said while taking his hammer out in preparation, with the others doing the same.

**_Enemy: King Bowser Koopa_**

The large King of Koopas just roared loudly and shot balls of fire toward them, to which they all dodged quickly just in the nick of time to prevent getting hit. But unfortunately for the Knothole mage, whom was about to shoot off his Thunder magic, was hit by the large Koopa's tail, sending him back but was stopped and saved by his guardian friend.

He looks over to him. "Thanks Knuckles!" The Green fox said to him just before he continued shooting his lightning based magic, with the wielder of the keyblade shot out his Blizzard magic and Kathy shooting off her enhanced flames of twilight since she gained full mastery of it. However, these attacks meant little to him and he just brushed it off simpily through his sheer defense, and just wiped and sent them away by the spin of his large and spiked shell after entering into it. Upon getting out of his shelled stasis, he was suddenly grabbed by the tail.

The very one who grabbed it was the Red plumber himself, and he started to spin him around. "So long-a bosw-a!" He let go of Bowser to send him flying, giving the guardian time to quickly throw his shield into his stomach, sending him backwards again in pain. At that moment, Mario looks at the werehog. "Ken-a! Let's-a do it!"

"Way ahead of you!" The Brown Mobian said when he switched his Kingdom Key back into his Jibbering Jaberwolky to activate its ability, and the Red hatted hero took out his wooden hammer. Together, they ran with each other side by side and started to quickly attack the rising Koopa in the stomach, weakening and not letting him react in any way. Just to attack with the keyblade's full power, he suddenly felt a certain instinct within him, making him curl into a ball of Brown fur and suddenly strike the King. But in doing this, it sent the werehog back. "What...What did I just do?"

"That was a Homing Attack! It's one of Sonic's traditional moves!" The zombie echidna said. "Only Sonic knows on how to do it! How did you-"

The Dark Caramel animal landed onto his feet to prevent landing harshly "I'll be honest with you, I don't know...But I like it!" He swung his keyblade toward the Koopa king and replaced his keychain with to his Triblade. "It's time we finish it, and let's hope I have enough magic to do it!" He activated its ability to slow down time, and also his surroundings. "I've only got ten seconds...Let's not waste it!"

He quickly ran as fast as he could to the large Koopa. This only took two seconds to do it. He planned to use the last of those seconds to quickly slash as much as he could toward Bowser's stomach to hit him, but that only took five seconds to do. On the very last three, he performed a much stronger slash than he has ever made before outside of the Jibbering Jaberwolky keyblade, leaving a slash of light behind onto the Koopa King just before time returned back to normal. The very feeling of those slashes caught up to him, hurting him and staggering.

He growled while holding his chest. "You little RAT! When I get my hands on ya I swear!" The very idea of someone outside of Mario doing that to him made his blood boil and gain a huge hate towards the werehog, then again, who could blame him? But while his anger rose, Large Body's and Sludge Screachers came out suddenly. "It's about time ya idiots showed up to help me! Take 'em out!" Instead of following his command, they suddenly grabbed him and formed a Black puddle of darkness under him. The very sight of what was occurring surprised the five heroes.

"What the- What's-a goin' on?" Mario asked in wonder.

While Kathy stared at what was happening in question, but the two Knothole knights remembered this very well; This was the very same way Mr. Dark went out back in Jibberish Jungle, so this was the second time they've had to see this.

Bowser started resisting from their grasp. "Let me go ya idiots! I'm commanding you as your King!" He yelled but he was just being drug in still against his will, and decided to try and keep himself up by his large claws. "I'll be back Mario! You and your friends!" The three heroes knew that it was a lie since he was going to be overtaken by the darkness and it was the end of him. It wasn't long before he was dragged in, leaving them.

_**King Bowser Koopa: Defeated**_

Bowser Jr just stared at where his father stood in shock and quickly ran over to that very spot. "P-Papa? Where are you Papa?!" The five just stared at him sadly, knowing that his father was gone, and never coming back. "No...Papa! Don't leave me alone!" He teared up heavily in sadness, then looked at them in anger. "It was your stupid heart! Because of you guys making it my papa's gone! He's gone!" He ran away crying, making them feel bad about it.

The plumber sighed sadly. "It's-a my fault. I nev-a should-a done it." He looked over to someone's hand touching his shoulder, Ken's.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it. He was in the darkness and it ended up taking over him. I'm sure it was bound to happen sooner or later." He said to him. "Come on, let's go help that friend of-" He looks up to the cage that held Princess Peach to see something that surprised him; She was gone. "S-She's gone!" They looked now.

"What?!"

"Where did she go?" Kathy asked now in wonder.

The Frankenstein fox thought for a bit until he came to a conclusion. "Maybe she was taken away just like with Zelda?"

That definitely sounded like a huge possibility. "I'll be honest Tails, that wouldn't be too far off." The keyblade wielder said to him, but this confersation was put to a halt when they saw something glowing on the throne; The keyhole to the Mushroom Kingdom. He pointed his weapon toward it to shoot the ray of light into it, locking it, and having it disappear into sparkles. "...And that's how it's done."

* * *

><p>"...So the experiment was a failure after all?" E. Gadd asked with the five heroes, plus with Luigi, Toadsworth, and Yoshi with them. "AND Princess Peach is missing?" They nodded. "My my...This is turning out to be a large set of events."<p>

Mario nodded and looked at his younger brother. "Luigi...I'm-a so sorry broth-a. I should-a listened to ya." He looked down sadly in shame

The Green brother smiled and held his hands. "It's-a ok Mario. We-a can come up with-a new idea. And this-a time, we can do it together. As broth-as."

"Yes, the Super Mario Broth-as!"

The Hazel colored werehog crossed his arms. "So that's it then? The celebration's canceled?"

The Red plumber sighed. "Yes, I'm-a afraid so. But at least I can-a find the princess."

"I don't know about that. I'm willing to bet that she was taken away by the Heartless. But don't worry, we'll help find her for you."

This made the plump man smile. "Thank you, for your kindess and-a your help. I want ya to have-a this." He said while giving the wielder something; A keychain that looked much like a catroonish angel wing. "I thought-a you could use-a this."

"Yeah, I definitely will." He said while replacing his Triblade with the new keychain, changing its form. It now took the form of a guard that resembled a Yellow mushroom, a White blade, and two halves of a mushroom on the end of it; He planned to call it, and hence for you to not laugh at it, Toadstool Toppler. "Wow...Now THIS is cool."

"Anyway...We've got to get going. We have places to be." Tails said. "If we come across the princess, we'll let you know."

"I hope for your journey to be a safe one Masters Ken, Tails, Knuckles and Kathy! Please be safe and come back any time you wish! But before you go...I must give you this. Apperantly Master Yoshi thought it was food." Toadstool said to them while handing over what it was, music sheets. This now made seventy eight of Miku's lost songs.

They nodded just before he not only took them, but they flashed away to leave them behind in the lab with smiles one their faces. However, in the distance, a being watched them from the distance with someone else by his side; Black Doom and the other, who was holding an unconscious Princess Peach, being EX.

"Bowser...Risking our own plans just to exact petty revenge...In the end, it's what destroyed him." The alien said.

"...There's not much of ya left. Thinkin' about throwin' in the towel yet?" The hedgehog of darkness asked.

"No...Of course not. For you...You are our biggest asset."

* * *

><p>The four heroes returned back into the X Tornado in their normal form, making them happy that their back to what they normally look like.<p>

The now Red echidna just relaxed on his seat. "Thank goodness we're back to normal. Feeling like that made my skin crawl."

"Hey, it was cool at least." The hedgehog said with a smirk. "So, what's the next place to go?"

The now Yellow fox looked through his scanners to look for one. "I think I found one. Goes by the name of...Veldin."

"Veldin, huh? Well then, let's head on over there!"

The mage stared up the plane and flew off to the next location, awaiting to seal that next keyhole.


	20. Space for One More? - Part I

_**Chapter XX: Space for One More? - Part I**_

It took the four heroes at least two hours to finally get near to where their next world was, Veldin. Along the way, just to pass time, Knuckles read a magazine that came out of completely nowhere, but what he didn't know was it was upside down on him. How did he not notice this? But regardless, while the cat of the fullest of twilight played Texas Hold'em with Tails.

She drew a card from the top and placed it on the floor with a smirk just before she showed her hand to him. "...Royal Flush."

The very sight of that just made his jaw drop. "WHAT?! You got really lucky!" He just drops his head and shows her his hand.

She giggled upon her victory while nearby, the Dark Brown Mobian was doing what he's been doing so far after the second visit to Traverse Town; Thinking. Ever since he started his journey, he's been hearing the name 'Hamon' just about everywhere he goes. He was mistaken for him multiple times, hearing that he looks so much like him, and so forth. It just wouldn't end.

The very thought of all that and the frustration of who he was to begin with made him growl lowly, but low enough to not be heard. _"I don't get it...Ever since we entered Wumpa Island at the start, I've been hearing his name from nearly everyone...Who is this guy named Hamon? Just...who?" _He closed his eyes to keep his thoughts in, hoping to get another one of those flashbacks like he always have when doing this, but he did get what he wanted, but it was two memories this time.

* * *

><p><em>One of them took place in a wasteland filled with parts of the ground taken out to form a long and large platform, indicating there is and was a great battle being held here. On one of the largest pieces, held what appeared to be a Orange and Black hedgehog wearing a Black shirt, Black and Red pants and shoes, one Grey glove and a Brown gaunelt on his left arm walking away from discared Brown, Gold, and Black armor that resembled much like a hedgehog's. For some odd reason, this hedgehog seemed familiar to him. <em>

_While the hedgehog walked, there was a sudden barrier made of Orange energy stopping him from moving forward, which took him by surprise and looked at where thr armor was to see something that shocked him. The scattered armor was now in one piece, kneeling down on its knees with its weapon stabbed into the ground. "What...Your body submits and your heart succumbs...But why? Why does your mind persist?!" He asked._

_Instead of responding to him since it was just a set of armor, it rose up to its feet and took the weapon that was stabbed into the ground out to reveal what it was; A keyblade. Since it couldn't talk, all it could do was talk within it's mind. "...I won't stop until you're put to rest...For Jasmine...Ashen...and my only son..._'s fate!" _

_For some reason, the keyblade master couldn't hear that name since it was blanked out from the memory and the next one was starting._

* * *

><p><em>"Ashen! Are you ok?!" A voice yelled while running, revealing to be someone that was inside that same set of full-body armor. Perhaps this was the owner. He made his way to two others, the same Grey-furred hedgehog the keyblade master saw from a previous memory, and another hedgehog, but he was frozen in some sort of ice.<em>

_"H-He's fine! He's just...Oh Ashen..." She said while holding the frozen body, while the male hedgehog looked up in the sky to see what it was that caught all of their attention. "What...Do you plan to do? Hamon?"_

_"...I'm going to end this. I'm going to stop him so he doesn't have to hurt you, Ashen...Or our unborn child in you." He just said, which made her eyes widen largely. "...He told me from before that he could sense it...It's our child your bear now, Jasmine...And as its father, I'll do whatever to stop him!" _

_She nodded and got up to remove the helmet on him to reveal Hamon's face, to show he was a Light Brown hedgehog with Green eyes, and kissed him. This felt very familiar to him now and felt like he knew him now. _

* * *

><p>"Ken! Are you there?!"<p>

The very sound of that woke the hedgehog up from his 'dream' to see it was from Tails. "I'm up! What's going on?!"

"There's a big spaceship following us!" He said when something large passed by them, making them all look to see it was indeed what the Knothole fox said it was. But upon seeing it, it made a U-turn toward them, making their eyes widen. "It's about to crash into us! Hand on tight guys!" The X Tornado suddenly crashed into the large ship, indicating they've aboarded the fleet.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>X-Veldin: Drek's Fleet-X<strong>_

The Dark Caramel hedgehog fell and and landed on a metal floor outside of space. How he was able to breathe was unknown to him. He groaned upon the impact and got up to look around, seeing nobody was there. "H-Huh? Hello? Tails? Knuckles?! Kathy?!"

"Kathy, I'm not sure of. But the two others? Who even cares?" A voiced asked, which made the keyblade master quickly look to see the source of the voice on an edge of the fleet; EX. "I didn't think you'd come here."

"EX! Where are they?! Where's Tails, Knuckles, and Kathy?"

"Are those other two really that important to you now? Did you really abandon us for them now?" The Crimson Mobian asked in anger, silencing his old friend. "...Instead of worryin' about those two idiots...Why not worry about...Her?" He stepped to the side to reveal something to him, which shocked him greatly; Katie, who was slumping to the side with lifeless eyes. "...While you were messin' around like a careless wanker, I found her. Don't ya see now? Unlike you...I care to find my friends."

This angered the Brown hedgehog greatly and planned to charge to him, but was stopped by a new brand of Heartless after someone snapped their fingers. They looked much like small robots but had Yellow eyes and the Heartless symbol on it; He called them; Clunker Crashers. He then looked at the source to see who it was, Chairman Drek. "Now, now, keyblade warrior. No need to be rash."

Ken looked at all of the new brand of Heartless, then at his former friend. "EX...Why are you doing this? Why are you with the Heartless?"

"...No, I'm not with them...They're with me. They're under my control now...And I fear nothing." He said simpily to him. "...I'm aware that they'll take a hold of my heart like of Bowser...But I'm nothing like him, and never will be." He held his gauntlet hand toward the Hazel hedgehog. "Allow me to show ya something I picked up along the way...Maybe it'll change ya tone." He closed it to suddenly make darkness come out of the legendary wielders mouth, making him cough harshly until it exited from his body.

The darkness that came from his mouth then took shape, forming a Black version of Ken himself but with no eyes. The very sight of this dark version of him made him unsettled just until it just smirked. **"...Yo...Nice to meet ya...Faker."**

"What...What did you..." He asked.

"...Meet the darkness in your heart; Dark Ken." EX said until he crossed his arms. "...You can go back to your friends now." He snapped his fingers to create an opening from underneath the hero, making him fall down through it and close just after it. He just scoffed and looked at the small man. "Let's get this ship underway now, and get that wanker Qwark to keep working on what he's working on until he find out for sure if she's a princess of heart." He looks at the Heartless version of the keyblade master. "And keep the real you away from Katie until we're ready to land."

**"Keep away huh? I can do MUCH more than just that!" **Dark Ken said with a evil smirk and seeped into the floor to leave them, with the hedgehog of darkness walking away now.

Drek only smiled as if he was accepting in doing so, but once the young Red Mobian was gone, he growled. "And who does that little brat think he is? Ordering me, Chairman Drek, around! If not for Black Doom, he would be disintegrated in an instant!" He sighed in anger while someone patted his head.

"Aw, it's alright. So, what was it you wanted me to do again?" A voice asked, making the alien man look to see it was a rather buff man wearing a Green hero suit with Grey arms, Brown shoes, and a Green mask with an antenna on it while he ate a subway sandwich.

"Oh, well Qwark...Qwark was to watch over the-" He was saying until he did a double take. "Why are you here?!" A thought came across his mind. "Wait...If YOU'RE here, then who's watching kangaroo girl?!"

* * *

><p>"...Really?!" Kathy asked in happiness.<p>

"You don't say?" Knuckles asked.

The Dark Chocolate hedgehog nodded with a smile. "Yeah, it was her! Without a single doubt in my mind! We found her!"

"Alright, let's go find her! but first..." Tails said from happiness to annoyance since they were in a large pile on top of each other, and of course, the fox was under it all. "HOW ABOUT GETTING OFF BEFORE MY BACK BREAKS?!" He heard a large pop coming from that bone, which pained him. "GET OFF!"

"S-Sorry!" Ken said just before they got off of him, giving him the chance to get up now. They looked around to see they were in a metal cage, and only a locked door led them out. "Where are we?"

"So, you're locked out too?" A voice asked in the shadows, making them look to see who it was; A Yellow cat-like creature with Green eyes wearing Blue pants, Brown gloves and a flight cap on his head. "So you got captured by Drek too?"

They looked at him confused. "Are...You a space cat?" The twilight cat asked.

"Huh? Nah, I'm a Lombax. Though that guy stuffed me in here and took my friend Clank to turn him into something for his own bidding. I'm just WANTING to get back a Drek for that!"

"But...You're stuck with us." The keyblade master said before looking at the door, seeing a lock on it.

The lombax nodded. "Yeah, and I tried everything but can't get out of here. I'd do ANYTHING to get out of-" Just before he finished the sentence, the wielder unlocked it through a ray of light at it, which made his jaw drop. "Oh...You're not serious."

"So...You'd do anything? How about you help us find my friend and I'll help find yours. Sound like a deal?"

He knew that this was the only way out, so was he much of one to skip out on this? He came to a decision and held his hand to the main hero. "...The name's Ratchet."

"Ken."

They both shook hands on their agreement, knowing their end of the deal, and they walked out to help find their friends. But, unknown to them, a silhouette of what appeared to be a humanoid kangaroo stared and watched them within the darkness. "An adventure? Maybe I can find that one wanker named Drek for locking me up! Give him what's what!" It was a female voice of this shadow, and she continued following them.

Along the way, they went through hallways upon hallways that seemed like the same to them every direction of the way. Wanting to clear something up, the echidna decided to bring it up. "So, uh...What does Clank look like Ratchet?"

"Small. Robot. Green eyes. Can't miss him." Ratchet said simply and to the point. "And what about your friend?"

"She's Bright Red. Her name's Katie. She'll be EASY to find." The keyblade master said just before an obstacle came into their way; Clunker Crashers. "...And I'm SURE these aren't Clank!"

"No way and no how!"

The Yellow lombax took out what appeared to be a medium-sized sword-like wrench, ready for battle. The robot Heartless then started shooting at them, to which the keyblade master took down one of them with his new Toadstool Toppler keyblade in a quick instant, indicating that he's now stronger than he was before. Meanwhile, the Knothole guardian quickly punched one of them so he could knock it down, and slammed his shield against it's head to finish it off, but in doing so left his guard down, which is kind of ironic. He was knocked away by some of the robots shooting at him with a plasma blast and rolling but was able to recover and throw his shield at one of their heads to destroy it.

Meanwhile, focusing her full power, Kathy started shooting not just her Black flames, but now Grey sphere of pure twilight energy to come out of her hands, which roamed around some of the Heartless and eventually hit them from behind to send them forward, and were finished off by both Tails' magic and Ratchet's swings with his wrench. But with their defeat, came along more, which held the variety of Clunker Crashers, Large Body's, and Powerwilds, making them returning again.

The very sight of them angered the lombax. "How many of these guys are there?!"

"Alright, no choice then! Spyro, I need-" Ken was about to say until within the shadows came out the one who was watching them. It was at least a nine year old Brown kangaroo with Magenta colored hair with a Blue hightlight, Blue eyes and wore a Black with no sleeves and upper top but it was held by White strands and a Black bow, Navy Blue shorts, and Light Blue thigh-length boots while she held a katana on her back. "H-Huh?! Who are-"

The female slowly landed in the middle of them and took out her sword with a smile. "Play time!" With insane speeds and agility, she dodged all of the attacks the Heartless drew to her, and slashed through them without hesitation. Upon slashing some of them, she looked behind to see some of the monkey versions of the monsters of darkness leaping toward her, making her spin a bit and slash through them with her slim sword while doing a ballerina twirl, but paid no attention to the ones behind her, the Large Body's. They swung their arms at her, to which she dodged and used her tail to bounce on them out of fun. "WEEE!" She did this for the past while until she got bored really fast. "I'm bored now! Bye bye!" She slashed one of them with her sword and defeated the last one.

She landed onto the ground and put her sword up just before doing a bow, then looked at the others who had their jaws dropped. She waved to them but the keyblade master was the first to recover. "WHOA! Now that was amazing! How did you do that?"

"Talent!" She just said.

"That...Was...AWESOME!" The fox mage said. "I've never seen any moves like that before! What's your name?"

"Huh? Me? My name's Lilly the Kangeroo! Greatest adventurer and ballerina there ever was!"

"Lilly? Never heard of ya!" Ratchet said rudely while picking his ears. "Can we go and get Clank now?"

This angered the kangeroo largely. "After I said ya butts against those dumbos?! You outta be grateful I followed and saved yo-" She covered her mouth upon saying that, which shocked them. "O-Oops."

"Wait...You were following us?" Kathy asked in question. "You're not with a Drek guy...Are you?"

This angered her. "NO! I wanna get back at him for that wanker locking me up!"

"Wow...Aren't you a bit young to say that kind of stuff?" Ken asked. "Aren't you...Uh...Nine? That's about two years younger than Kathy here. Don't, uh...Your parents know about this?"

The sound of that turned her anger into sadness, making her look down. "Um...I don't have a daddy...And I use to have a mum."

Tails started to think about what she just said about her parents. _"No dad but use to have a mom...I wonder... Could she be..."_

**"So...This is where you guys are now." **A dark voice said, which caught the hedgehog's attention the most, and they all looked to see something coming from the ground; Dark Ken. **"Howdy faker...Nice to see ya again!"**

"Faker?" Ratchet asked.

"This is...Something EX made himself, using my own darkness from my heart to make this!" The Hazel Mobian said just when he switched his recent keyblade into his Triblade. "Here to finish me off?!"

**"More than that...I'm here to be whole with you, as my OWN being! All this time for as long as you've lived, I've just sat there in the pitiful part you call a heart while you did all the living! Now...It's MY turn to take over!"**

"...No in a million years!"

**"Really? Well then..." **Dark Ken said just before he was covered in a dark aura. **"...I'll just force you out myself!"**

The six of them prepared for whatever was going to happen, but it suddenly sunk into the ground again and quickly moved over to under the Knothole Knights and sent them upwards, making them hit the top and falling over to the ground. This definitely made them keep their guard up, but it meant nothing since both the Lombax and cat of twilight were suddenly hit by the Heartless hedgehog's dark filled attack, sending them too backwards. If he was able to take down four people in just the span of twenty seconds, then he was clearly too powerful for their own good.

Wanting to do something, the katana wielding kangaroo ran toward him as quickly as her legs could go, which shocked the keyblade master. "LILLY! NO!" It was too late since she was near him, started doing a small amount of twirls, and attempted to slash him with her thin sword, but due to his fast speed, he just caught it as if it was nothing.

This shocked her since nobody was able to do that before to her, and she tried to take it away but he had a tight grip on it. "Let go of it ya wanker!"

**"As you wish!" **He said simpily and let it go, sending her backwards a bit and suddenly given an opening to be kicked in the stomach, sending her down onto the ground while the katana flew into the air for the Dark hero to grab it. **"...Time to get rid of you so I can get rid of him!" **He aimed the sword toward her and was about to stab it into her. This was it. This was how she was about to die.

Just when the sword was about to be landed onto her, Ken quickly used his Triblade's ability to slow down time long enough to parry the attack, which he was able to do and the two struggled against each other. "You're not touching her! Especially...If it's just a little girl!" He pushed the sword away and tried to slash back, but he ended up knocking back the sword from his grasp. "Give it up! It's just between you and me now!"

**"...We'll finish this...Soon. But for now, let's save this battle for later. Till then, Faker!" **Dark Ken said before he faded away into the shadows to leave them.

Ken sighed deeply, grabbed the katana, and looked at Lilly. "You ok?" She only just stared in surprise of all that happened, but what really did it for her was that he protected her. Not in a friendly sense...But more like how a father and daughter would.

She quickly hugged him. "THANK YOOOU!"

He sweatdropped a bit by her actions while he noticed them all getting up. "Are you guys alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine." Ratchet said until he noticed what was going on. "What's up with her?"

"I don't really know to be honest." He said while rubbing his quills and watching Lilly keeping her hug.

It was at that point, Tails finally remembered something about her. "Wait a minute! I remember of who you remind me of! Lilly, was your moms name...Mina?" She focuses on him and nods. "Of course! No wonder you look so familiar!"

"Is it really her?!" Knuckles asks.

"Uh...Who's Mina?" The Dark Caramel hedgehog asks.

"Mina was from our world called Knothole. She wasn't just the best ballerina there, but she was also one of the strongest swordsman there was. But she had to put it on hold because...She was pregnant. So...You know what this means now?" The fox asks. "This means...She's not FROM Veldin! She's from OUR world!"

The keyblade wielder just stares at the young kangaroo now. If this was how she acts at times, and if she's from another world, then that also meant... "...You've got to be kidding me."

"Look, we're getting off topic!" The Lombax yelled to catch their attention. "We need to get to Clank! Like, now! Before it's too late!"

"Huh?" Kathy asks. "Oh! Oh yeah! We have to go!"

"Then let me come with you! I can help!" Lilly pipped up, then gave the Brown Mobian puppy dog eyes. "Pleeease?"

He groaned. "Alright! Fine! You can come!"

She jumped up happily. "Yay! Then let's go!" She grabbed her Katana and ran off forward.

"Lilly! Wait!" The fox yelled just before they all chased after her.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in Drek's office, both Drek himself and EX were in it to discuss. "So that girl Lilly isn't one of those 'princesses'?"<p>

"Seems like it. Though there's seven from what I heard of." The hedgehog of darkness said. "And Black Doom says she isn't."

"So, we just leave her to die then?" He asks. EX nodded. "Good, I've been waiting to for a long time. At least all that work will pay off one way or another. So now...What DOES he plan?"

"How should I know? So long as Katie comes back...I'll do whatever."

Their conversation was put to a halt when Captain Qwark came inside. "Uh...Chairman Drek? We have a itsy bitsy problem...The prisoners and the girl, eh...Escaped."

"WHAT?!" Drek yells in shock, then grows angry. "Prepare the XJ0461 immediately, and use him for hostage!"

The masked 'hero' nods and quickly runs off, leaving them while the Crimson hedgehog looks down. "...Why won't you get it?" He asks silently.


	21. Space for One More? - Part II

_**Chapter XXI: Space for One More? - Part II**_

Meanwhile, back within the outside of the Chairman's office, the keyblade master and the others, including this new comrade they found named Lilly, walked through the area more to see they were now in a large cell block filled with cages. Though the best thing about this now was there were no Heartless to be seen, not since their encounter with Dark Ken

Upon seeing them all, Ken sighed and looked around. "Great...Now where could she be? She has to be somewhere.

They all started skimming through the cages in one group, but the sword-wielding kangeroo noticed something from above and kept her eyes on it. "Um...What does that girl you were looking for look like?"

"Actually...You didn't tell us what else she looked like aside from being Red." Tails said. "What else did she look like?"

"Wait! Did she look like you and wearing a Blue coat and those Brown glasses?"

This surprised the hedgehog. "Wait...How did you know that?! Did you meet her?!"

"No, because she's right over there!"

Their eyes widened and looked to where she was looking at now, seeing something on the very top cage; Katie, whom was lying against the wall. "Katie!"

Taking a chance, the lombax wanted to be sure of something. "Clank! Are ya in there?!"

"Ratchet? Is that you?" A voice asked as the source of it jumped to hold himself against the bars, revealing to be a small robot with Green eyes and a beeping antenna.

"Clank! Don't worry, we're here to save you! Just get that rustbucket you call a butt down here!" Ratchet said.

The robot implied and turned his hands into small lasers so he could start cutting through the bars and make a hole big enough to fit through. However, the door to their cell started to unlock, meaning that Clank didn't have enough time to help Katie now. He finally made the hole and was about to jump out, but he was sent away by getting hit by a laser blast from a laser gun, sending him downward.

This shocked Ratchet greatly. "CLANK!" He ran as fast as he could and grabbed him to save him, then looked at the source of who shot it through the metal bars of the cage; Captain Qwark. "Qwark!" He ground his teeth in anger.

"Dang it! He got out!" He said, then looked at the lifeless body of the Cherry-Red hedgehog. "Oh well, that EX guy wanted her soon anyway." He picked her up over his shoulder and turned so he could leave.

"KATIE!" The Hazel Mobian said.

At the very sound of his voice, she weakly looked up to him with her head. "Ken...ny..." She was taken away from the cage, leaving the other hedgehog in shock but also...Happiness. He was glad she was ok at the very least.

The Yellow animal just growled still just before his anger lowered and got up. "Sorry guys, but this is as far as I'll go. I've got to help Clank." He looks over to them. "Your girlfriend outta be in Drek's office just nearby. Meet me on Veldin once your done, alright?"

He blushed at the sound of 'girlfriend', but nodded. "We will. And thanks again for all your help Ratchet. You've been a great help." The lombax nodded and ran off while holding his small friend in his arms. "Alright, let's get to that office!"

"...And give Drek what's what!" Lilly said with a devilish smile.

"Uh...Yeah, that too!"

The five heroes quickly turned to another hallway that was a different direction from where Ratchet went to they could get to Katie as fast as they possibly could.

* * *

><p>They ran from hallways upon hallways to find the office, which took them a while to find since this place wasn't familiar to them compared to how much of the area Ratchet knows, but they were able to find their way to the Chairman's office. Upon reaching it, and finally impatient, the Hazel Mobian kicked down the door to see Captain Quark handing the Cherry Red hedgehog to EX's arms. "EX!"<p>

The buff man looked behind him to see them, which struck fear into him. "Um...Hey, is that escape pod calling my name? It must be! I should go...Um..." Instead of finishing his excuse for leaving, he ran out while screaming like a little girl, which made the hedgehog of darkness annoyed.

"...Idiot..." He said before putting his attention onto the keyblade master. "I know you'd be here Ken...But I didn't want you to."

"EX, listen to me! There's still time to stop this! You know what Black Doom is capable of! If you even-"

"You make it sound like I don't know what I'm gettin' myself into...But I know what I'm doing." He said to interrupt him. "...So long as she's awake, I'm ok with whatever Black Doom is going to give me. I'm willin' to make those sacrifices just so she'd be alright...But what about you, Ken? I heard people consider the wielder of the keyblade are as heroes...But you want to know what I'm seeing in front of me right now?" They all just stayed silent. "...Anything BUT a hero. As far as I'm aware of, all you ever did was run around with that weapon of yours just to show it off. While here I am trying to save Katie!"

"That's now true!" Lilly said.

"EX, you KNOW that's not true!" Kathy said alongside her.

Ken just looked down sadly. "Is...It really..."

The Crimson hedgehog shook his head. "...I'm done here. It's time I head back." He stepped away while holding the female hedgehog. "...Deal with him, Dark."

**"With pleasure!"**

A shadow formed near the Crimson hedgehog and rose to recreate someone they remembered; Dark Ken. Upon the sight of him, the fox groaned. "Oh come on...Again?"

"...Goodbye, Ken." EX said while backing away to leave them.

"EX! WAIT!" He yelled just when he was about to run to him, but was blocked off by his dark other. "...Get OUT of my way!"

**"Fat chance, faker! We have a score to settle!" **Dark Ken said with a smirk and quickly punched his real counterpart in the stomach, sending him into the wall to leave a dent. He tried to get up now, but the dark hedgehog suddenly appeared and wrapped him into tendrils of darkness so he could lift him up. **"Now it's time to reclaim what's rightfully mine!" **

At the very same time, the Heartless hedgehog was suddenly hit in the head by a Red shield, Knuckle's shield. However, the attack didn't do any damage to him whatsoever, and suddenly grabbed the edge of it so he could drag the Red guardian near him and quickly and harshly punch him in the face, sending him away while the shield twirled in the air and hit the ground.

"Knuckles!" Tails yelled, then looked at the cat of purest twilight. "Kathy! Double team!"

She nodded and the both of them started shooting their own versions of fire, but hers didn't hurt him. Instead, since it was flames of darkness, strengthened him slightly. Knowing of this, the evil version of the hero smirked. **"Thank ya little girl! That's JUST what I needed!" **Thanks to his increased power, he flew toward them while glowing in a Purple aura Kathy was sent away into a wall, only to be caught by the keyblade master so he could take the hit instead, making him slouch against the wall. Out of desperation, the Knothole fox quickly attempted to shoot his magical ability toward him to slow him down, but ended up getting knocked down onto the ground and stunned. **"This is just pathetic! I thought you guy's would've done better!"**

Behind his back, he was suddenly slashed from behind, but the attack just wen through him entirely since he somehow saw the attack coming. He looked behind him to see the owner of it; Lilly. "Leave 'em alone you wanker!"

**"...You've got guts little girl...I like that! But you sure are an annoying one!" **He suddenly grabbed the small girl by the neck to lift her up. **"...But tell me something...Why? Why do you even BOTHER to fight me when you have no standing chance!?"**

"B-Because...I know I can do anything...So long as I...B-Believe!"

**"Believing, huh? Well then, time to smash every last bit of that hope you created in believing!"**

Just like he did with Ken, the hedgehog Heartless begun covering her in darkness, for it started to pain her greatly to the point of yelling. The very sound of the yelling perked the Hazel hedgehog's up and looked to see what was happening. "Lilly! Hang on!" He quickly got up and summoned his Triblade keyblade so he could activate its ability, slowing down time just for a few seconds to slash his dark copy suddenly. Once time returned back to normal, a slash of light hit Dark Ken, making his eyes widen and drop the small kangaroo, leaving him wide open for the wielder of the keyblade to stab through him. "...It's over...Time to go back to where you belong...So you won't come back to hurt us!"

When he heard that, the Black version on him just laughed while he faded away into the hero's shadow. **"You really think that, don't you?! You're a bigger idiot than you look! Don't you understand? I AM your darkness AND your shadow! No matter where you go, no matter how much you try to rid of me, I'll ALWAYS be there! And soon, when I get out of that body of yours...It WILL be mine! Savor keeping it as long as you can, because I WILL be back!" **He sunk into his shadow fully, disappearing.

The very words that he said sunk into him. Was he truly gone, or what was he said true? He wanted to be sure and put his hand over his heart to feel it beating, and felt a cold and dark feeling next to it, acting much like his own heart. But there was something really strange to him; Another was on the other side of his, but it was much different than the other one. It was rather...Warm and filled with light. _"Wait...I get Dark being in me...But why is there...Another heart? Why...Do I have three hearts? When did I..." _He decided to put the questioning aside and helped the sword wielding kangaroo up. "Are you ok?"

She looked up to him with a smile. "Yep! I'm a'right!" She hopped back up while everyone met up. "So, now what?"

"...You're getting out of here." Ken said simply, which shocked her. "This is way more dangerous than I thought it was going to be for you. I can't afford for anyone to get killed."

"B-But that's not fair! I made it this far!"

"That's because...You got really lucky." Kathy said. "You nearly died twice because of them...I...Have to side with him this time."

The very sound of that devastated the kangaroo, then looked at the two Knothole guadians for support. "Come on Tails and Knuckles! Say something!" They just stayed silent and looked away, not wanting to say anything since they knew doing any of those would hurt them. She just started to tear up, feeling hurt. "T-Then fine! I don't need any of you! I've lived all by alone then, I'll live alone now!"

She just ran away from them while crying, making them feel extremely bad about it, but they knew they had one more goal to finish before looking for the keyhole to Veldin; Stop Drek and this fleet. They all saw a teleporter inside the office, and they considered that this was the way to at least find Drek. But before they entered it, the Brown Mobian noticed sheets of paper on the control panel, realizing they were some of Miku's lost songs, making this ninety out of ninety nine.

He sighed while getting on the teleporter. "Alright, let's go!" They all stepped onto it and they were covered in waves before teleporting away, leaving the office.

* * *

><p>They all suddenly appeared on top of the fleet, which was the very area the hedgehog saw both EX and Katie. They started looking around to they could find the small man, but saw nothing of him.<p>

"Looking for me?" A voice asked, making them look on the edge of the ship to see who it was; Chairman Drek. "It's a shame for EX to not be here. Rather rude that he left with the girl without a simple farewell."

"You know where they went?!" Ken asked just before he summoned his Triblade, turning it into the Toadstool Toppler. "Tell me, where did they go?!"

"Hm...Since your lives will end here, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell. They've left for the ruins of Hollow Bastion, where our leader Black Doom hides in! But...You won't be going there." The small suited alien stated and showed them something that was nearby; A tied up Ratchet and Clank lying near him.

"R-Ratchet!"

"Now, I propose we make a deal." Drek snapped his fingers to summon more Clunker Crashers near them. "Hand over the keyblade and I'll spare him and your friends, or get sent into the largest part of space!" He put his hands together professionally. "You should be grateful I'm merciful, unlike the Heartless."

This was it; This was one of the toughest decisions he ever had to make. Give up the weapon he had to save everyone and his friends or die just so he couldn't get his hands on them? He wasn't sure on what to do.

_"B-Because...I know I can do anything...So long as I...B-Believe!"_

That was what Lilly said before, and it was true. He knows he can do anything so long as be believed. So, he started walking backwards toward the edge of the fleet, which shocked the three.

"Ken, don't!" Kathy yelled.

"We'll take them! Just don't do it!" Tails said.

"Don't risk your own life for ours!" Knuckles yelled now.

He paid no mind to them and made it to the edge, and once doing that, he jumped off with his eyes closed. This very action shocked the group largely, but their shock was stopped when the Toadstool Toppler glowed, activating its ability. He was covered in sparkles and did something they didn't expect; He started flying toward them.

"WHAT?! HE'S FLYING?!" Drek asked in shock.

"He's flying!" The three said.

"I'm flying!" The keyblade master said with a smirk. "It's time for payback Drek!"

"I hear that!" A voice said, whom cut the rope holding the lombax and pushed him and Clank out of the way, catching the little man offguard. They looked to see who it was; Lilly.

"Lilly!" The Dark Chocolate one said while flying near her. "Y-You're back!"

"Of course I did ya baka! You think I'd leave you guys behind? I have a score to settle with him!"

He nodded. "Right, and THIS time, we're doing it together!"

The very actions of what the small kangaroo did made the Chairman mad. "Very well, you've pushed my anger to no limit! It's time I finish what I've started!" He pressed a button from a device that he took out of his jacket, suddenly having a large hovering mech near the side of the fleet, which its arrival knocked away all of the Heartless. He jumped into the cockpit and grabbed the two switches on each side. "You WILL regret this!"

_**Enemy: Chairman Drek**_

To start off his rampage of attacks, he begun shooting off missiles from the back of the mech, taking off and flying around and soon toward the six heroes. Upon seeing this, they quickly got out of the way, with Ken's way of dodging it by using his newest ability of flight. "Better get ready Drek, because it's payback time!" He started circling around the machine, which caught his attention and started to shoot bombs at him.

"Stay STILL you vermin!" He yelled while he kept shooting and both of the Knothole knights started using their best abilities alongside with the cat of twilight, hoping to find a weakspot by any means so they could break through it and overwhelm him from there, but there was no such thing of that regardless. While chasing down the hedgehog, the small man just laughed at their attempts. "You truly think you can break through this defense? This machine can go through the toughest of attacks!"

The swordwielding kangaroo quickly looked over the mech to find something while she bounced with her tail, then had the wildest of ideas. "Daddy! Pick me up so we can attack him from above!"

The sound of her calling him 'Daddy' surprised the heroes a bit, but also made 'Daddy' blush. "I'm not your dad! But I'll follow what you're saying!" He said while flying around once more so he could scoop her up and help her get on top of the mech and use her tail to slam into the cockpit covered in glass now.

She kept jumping on it with her tail while laughing due to the amount of fun she was having, making the glass crack slightly. "WEEE! This is so fun!"

Out of the want of getting her off, he started shooting missiles from his back so he could knock her off, but she jumped high enough to dodge them. "You little brat! Get off this instant!"

"Haha, ok!"

She jumped off just before another missile was about to hit her, but she jumped on it too, causing an explosion that not only sent her upwards laughing, but also sent Drek downward onto the edge of the fleet. The Dark Caramel hedgehog caught Lilly and helped her back down before switching his Toadstool Toppler to his Jibbering Jaberwolky. Taking this chance, they started to attack the cockpit, cracking it slightly. While the ones who shot their polar magic and the guardian did a good amount of damage to it, a majority went from both Ken and Ratchet themselves since their swings from their blunt weapons did the most damage.

"Ready to give him what's for?" The Yellow lombax asked with a smirk.

"Way ahead of you!" The Dark Caramel said, doing the same he did.

They started swinging their weapons to where it held the chairman like they were baseball bats, with each hit becoming stronger and faster than the last one. And on the final attack, which they charged up their last swing except for the legendary weapon wielder since all he had to do was activate his keyblade's ability, and quickly slammed their weapons against it, not only breaking it, but also sending and spinning Drek away in his mech while screaming. "Make. This. STOP!"

"It's over Drek! You want the keyblade? Well you can have it!" The hedgehog said just after the mech started to slow down from it spinning, then suddenly hurled the keyblade at the small chairman's head, using his Strike Raid ability. Once the attack came into contact with his face, it knocked him into a point of being dizzy and his head hit the control panel, accidentally hitting a button on there.

He looked to see what the one he pressed on accident was, with it saying 'Self-Destruct'. "...WHY DID I INSTALL THAT?!" After asking that, the mech suddenly blew up on him, causing a large amount of smoke and parts of the mech flying away, along with Drek flying away like a comet. You might as well think of him as one with how fast he was going.

* * *

><p>The suited alien kept flying away like a shooting star until he landed into another planet, which looked much like a beach; Pokitaru. He rose to the surface and looked around. "Well...Thank goodness that's over." He felt something was near him, making him look behind him to see there were sharks near him, wearing eating bibs and holding a knife and form in hand. "...Oh no." They licked their lips upon seeing him, making him scream and start running on water with the sharks chasing him.<p>

**_Chairman Drek: Defeated_**

* * *

><p>Back on the fleet, the heroes were smiling upon their victory against the chairman, but not the hedgehog himself. He only just stared at space in thought and in sadness, which concerned them. He felt alone now, and that he lost so much as of now. He lost his best friend and now the girl he loves, especially since she lost her heart to the Heartless. <em>"So...Does that mean...She's really gone now? Is she...Gone forever."<em>

**"Sheesh, THIS is what you think of? Kinda boring if ya ask me!" **

"Huh?" The hedgehog asked, then looked around. "Did you guys hear that?"

This confused Knuckles. "Uh...No?"

**"Hey, idiot! I'm in your mind! It's Dark Ken here!"**

_"Dark? How are you..."_

**"You also have bad memory too?! Wow, you're the lamest person I've ever met! Anyway...Since you're taking care of my body at the moment and I've got nothing else better to do, might as well talk to ya!"**

_"YOUR body? Please, tell that to someone who'll listen to you." _Ken thought just before he cut off their contact.

The lombax walked over to him in concern. "So Ken...You going to be ok?"

"...I...I can't believe it still!" He said with a smile. "I really flew! I can't wait to tell Katie about this! I wonder if she'll believe me." He shook his head. "Nah, maybe not."

Well, who knows. Maybe you can bring her here. We could fly ships and stuff. Here, the sky's the limit."

"Yeah!" Lilly said with a smile. "If ya believe, you can do anything. right?"

The keyblade master looked at her with a smile and nodded. "Right. And with it, I'll find Katie...Soon, and tell her about everything."

Ratchet nodded with a smile. "Anyway, we outta get back onto Veldin so I can get Clank back up." He looks at everyone. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Inside an area that was filled with rocks and looked much like a desert, inside a small garage had Ratchet repairing Clank while they all watched him. Once he finished repairing the small robot, he started waking up.<p>

He groaned a bit. "Where...Am I?" He was suddenly hugged by the lombax.

"Good to see ya all alright." He said.

"What...Happened?" Clank asked. They explained to him all that happened after getting hit by Qwark. "I see, so what is left to do now?"

"Well to find the key-" Knuckles was about to say, but the three of them except Lilly shut his mouth for a bit before they opened it for him. "Never mind!"

"Would you be meaning to say a... keyhole? Could it be something like...THAT?"

The robot pointed at something, making them look to see on an Red spaceship, which was Ratchet's, forming a keyhole onto it. "Whoa...What is that?" The small kangaroo asked.

"What we were looking for." The fox said simply.

Once seeing it, the keyblade master summoned his weapon and aimed towards to to shoot the laser of light into it, making a clicking sound and locked it before it disappeared, but not before a piece of some sort of material popping out; An X Tornado piece, to which the echidna picked up.

The sight of what happened made the lombax shake his head. "Alright, HOLD up. What's even going on?"

The four heroes looked at eachother, nodded, and started explaining what was happening, with Lilly included.

* * *

><p><em>The Cherry-Red hedgehog then started thinking about something, then decided on it. "Hey! I have an idea!" They looked at her to hear it. "When we get older, let's go on adventure! Like, off the island!"<em>

_"I like the sound of that!" The small Crimson one said._

_"But...What do we do until then?" The Dark Chocolate furred Mobian asked while they all started back at the entry._

_"Well, did you hear about that baby cat they found near the beach?" Katie asked while they walked, but not before EX looked behind him to see something, the door that lied in the secret place. But it now held a new feature to it; A keyhole._

* * *

><p>Ratchet listened to every single thing they told them, with both Clank and Lilly by his side. "So, the worlds are in danger, and there's not much I can do, huh?" The four nodded. "So, I just have to stay here and wait, huh?"<p>

"Not like we want you to, but we can't let everyone from each would into the outside. It would cause crazy things." Tails explained. "But it'll all get settled soon."

He nodded and then thought of something, looking a Clank. "Hey, it's possible to bring someone out of Veldin with you, right? Like, anybody who isn't from here?"

"Huh? Uh...I think so."

"Alright, I've got an idea. Clank?"

"What is it Ratchet?"

He puts his hand on the small robots shoulder. "I want you to go with them. I can't go, but maybe you can."

"What?"

"Listen...Those worlds are in danger, and I can't be there to help these guys. But you can. You're not FROM this world technically. You're from somewhere else entirely. I want...I want you to do this for me, will ya?" The lombax said, then looked at the four. "If that's alright with you guys." They nodded.

The small robot thought about it. This was big of Ratchet to ask for something like this. And since he was the one who fixed him up, it would be a good way to owe him. Once he got done thinking, he nodded. "I will go Ratchet. To help them." He gets up and walks over to them. "I am XJ0461. But my name is Clank."

"Well, Clank..." Ken said while crouching down and shook his head. "Welcome to the team."Upon doing that, the small robot started fading into Grey sparkles and sealed himself within the keyblade so he will be summoned whenever needed.

**"Oh, depending on a robot I see." **Dark Ken stated. **"Why depend on something that'll break when you can depend on me to take over your battles for ya?"**

_"Stay out of this."_

"Hey, what about me? Can I come pwease?" Lilly asked cutely now, with big puppy eyes.

The fox started thinking. "Well, she's technically from Knothole, so she's REALLY not from this would so..." He looks at the hedgehog now. "I say we take her with us!"

"I don't know..." The Grey-arrowed hedgehog said, only to see her eyes now. Why did she have to make that face on her? The very sight of it made him groan. "Ok! You can come with us!" She jumped up happily and hugged his leg.

"Thank you daddy!"

"I'm not your daddy!"

The lombax just chuckled at their shenanigans. "By the way, have this." He said while walking up the the keyblade master and gave him something; A keychain that looks like a laser gun. "I saw you fight with these, so maybe this'll help."

He took the keychain and switched it out with his Jibbering Jaberwolky; It now had a clunky looking square guard with, a silver blade, and two objects that looked much like the tip of Ratchet's oversized wrench, one smaller one being the the bigger one. He now dubbed it; Wrench Wacker. "Whoa...Now THIS looks cool."

"Come back soon so you can take your girlfriend here if ya wanted to."

"She's not my girlfriend, but...Yeah, I will!"

The four heroes, with Lilly included, got together and waved to the Yellow animal right before they flashed away, leaving him to sit there with a smile.

* * *

><p>At that instant, they all reappeared back into the X Tornado, with the small kangaroo looking at the sights in awe. "Woooow, it looks so cool!"<p>

"Just wait until it's a full speed! Next stop is Traverse Town!" Tails said with a smile and started it back up so they could fly away from Drek's old fleet and make it back to the town the knights and hedgehog met.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in Hollow Bastion, EX was on the ground breathing heavily while holding Katie in his arms, and Black Doom watched him struggle in front of him.<p>

He shook his head. "It was reckless of you to return without a vessel, EX." He said. "If you stayed there longer, it would have costed your very heart."

"Don't...Don't get concerned with me! I'm fine!" The Crimson hedgehog said while placing her female friend down and got up. "Though...I bring bad news. That girl, Lilly, wasn't one of the princesses. I think we must have passed her along the way on accident."

"That is sad news to bear, but the worlds nearest to Veldin could also be the next to target." Black Doom stated, then snapped his fingers to reveal a hologram of five females; Zelda, Princess Peach, and three other girls. One was the female faun with a Green top and Reddish hair, and another being a woman with Orange-Red hair. Both of those were in Ken's dreams, except for one other girl that looked much like an elf. She had Teal hair, a Pinkish top, Purple pants, and Brown gloves and shoes. "We've only captured two of the princesses near Veldin, and the others held none of last two princesses of heart. They are needed to awaken the legendary seven emeralds from the purest of hearts, which are necessary the opening the final keyhole."

"Really? Well then, what other places are there now?"

The alien of darkness closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them. "...HedgeHaven."

"HedgeHaven, huh?" EX asked, then turned around. "Well then, time to get this next princess."

"But of your strength, there is only one that will get in your way. The one known as Scythe. But to easily counter him...You must have the power inside you..Your true power. With this, you will not only become stronger...But to also cross through worlds easily without my assistance."

He turned to him. "My...True power?" Instead of being given an answer, the master of darkness rose his hand toward the hedgehog, making him glow a sinister Green and turn his clothes into something else; He now wore a Black and Red set of full-body armor, except the head, but now held the Heartless symbol on it. "This is..." He closed his eyes and turned around to walk to the exit.


	22. Fighting for your Life - Part II

_**Chapter XXII: Fighting for your Life - Part II**_

It was a while since the four heroes, now with their newest member named Lilly with them, left Veldin. And since they now found another X Tornado piece, they decided to return back to Traverse Town so they can install it into their craft and get to this place called 'Hollow Bastion'. While the small sword wielding kangaroo got antiquated with the other members of the group, Ken was just sitting there and staring into the space they were in before closing his eyes. For the past while the words of which EX told him replayed in his mind.

_"But what about you, Ken? I heard people consider the wielder of the keyblade are as heroes...But you want to know what I'm seeing in front of me right now? Anything BUT a hero. As far as I'm aware of, all you ever did was run around with that weapon of yours just to show it off. While here I am trying to save Katie!"_

**_"Hey, he was speaking the truth! What kind of hero are ya?!" _**

_The Brown hedgehog was now in some sort of dark world, somewhere he was very familiar with; It was his mind. He looked around now to see what was inf front of him; Dark Ken. "...I thought I shut you out."_

**_"C'mon Kenny, I'm EVERYWHERE. No matter how many times ya shut me out, I'll keep comin' back! I'm YOU, and you're ME! And there can only be one of US!" _**_He said with a devilish smirk. **"Come on, listen to what he was sayin'! All you ever did was just swing that blade of yours all around like it was somethin' special! Admit it, you're no hero! Like he said, you're anything BUT!" **_

_"...Maybe I am...But with him saying that...I want to know. I want to know what it takes to be something like that." He said back before pointing at him. "And I won't let someone like you get in my way of that question."_

**_"What? You mean putting me and the truth I say aside?"_**

_"...This conversation is over." _He opened his eyes and looked to see he was back in the real world and everything was how it was. "Tails, I need you to do something for me."

"Huh?" He asked. "Yeah, go ahead."

"I want you...To land us back to King of the Iron Fist."

"To deal with Kazuya now?"

The name made both Kathy and Lilly confused since they never met him, but the keyblade master shook his head. "No...I want answers for my questions...And only one person I know there can help me with them.

* * *

><p>The five heroes flashed back into the city both the hedgehog and knights appeared in before, but it was much different now; It was dark, gloomy, and no people were in the streets now. "How...This place looks nearly lifeless at night." Knuckles said.<p>

The Brown one nodded and looked back at them. "I want you guys to...Stay here. This is something I need to do alone...For my own reasons."

When he started walking away, the small kangaroo started getting worried. "Is it what that wanker named EX said?" He stopped upon hearing, but continued walking to the stadium. "Daddy..."

* * *

><p>The keyblade wielder walked through the entry of the coliseum and into the ring, seeing it still destroyed after both his and Shadow's fight from a while back, but there was something else that caught his attention too. It was a man standing in the middle of it; Heihachi. He kept walking to him, making the old warriors closed eyes open.<p>

He turned to look at him. "So, you're here again." The hedgehog nodded. "Are you here to do what you've said from before? To stop Kazuya?"

"More than that actually." He said. "...I know it seems a bit weird but...If there's anyone out there that can help me find the answers I'm looking for...It's you. I...Want to know what it takes, or what even MAKES a hero."

The very sound of that made the anti-hero smirk. "Is that so? Well then...To get the answers you seek, you must fight one with a dark heart. Only then can you realize the truth of what makes one."

"Giving advise to the rodent? You truly do care for one that is a stranger than your own son." A voice said, making them look in front of them to see the source of it, whom was Kazuya Mishima. "You leave me to die from a cliff you threw me off of...I struggled to keep my life, but Devil...Devil was there to protect me, much like a parent...Or a father."

"Kazuya!" Heihacih said while preparing himself, and Ken summoning his Wrench Wacker keyblade. "I will rid of your dark heart, so that the power of Devil will no longer corrupt you!"

"...Enough of your lies...I thought the powers I gained from the power of Devil would have ended your life...This time, your fate will be settled here." The devil fighter said until he yelled loudly and was covered in a evil Purple aura and his scar on his torso glowing Red, turning him and his body into something new. Kazuya held his same facial features as before, but now has Purple skin, devil wings, claws, legs, teeth, and a tail with his body scar glowing Red still. He was now in his newest form; Devil Kazuya. **"Your fate has been determined...Both you and your rodent of a friend are soon to be...Dead."**

_**"Still wanna run away like the wuss you are?"**_ Dark Ken asked.

In response of him and Kazuya, the hedgehog prepared his newest keyblade alongside the old fighter, ready for what this battle will deliver.

_**Enemy: Kazuya Mishima**_

Both the wielder and fighter ran toward the devil possessed fighter as fast as they could with all of their might, but he reacted to it quickly by shooting laser from his eyes, making the both of them step aside in different directions and hit through a part of the coliseum, damaging a section of seats. Thank goodness they weren't filled unless a dozen people would have died. Upon dodging the attack, Ken skidded across the ring and ran toward the fighter in hopes of slashing him, but this attack was stopped by Kazuya suddenly turning and clashed his claw with the weapon.

Their clash caused sparks of energy to come out of it, mostly from the power of Devil since his power was unbelievable. While they clashed, Heihachi had his fist prepared and was close to punching him, but it was stopped by the other fist stopping him. All of them struggled to overpower their opponent as much as possible, but all they ended up being put in was nothing but a power struggle for the longest period of time. Getting impatient, the devil fighter then started forming lasers into his eyes again toward his father now.

This shocked the hedgehog, wanting to do something to protect him. He gave up on the clash and stepped back just before his keyblade started glowing, indicating he activated its ability. From instinct along, he slammed his Wrench Wacker into the ground, creating a shockwave of energy to come out, pushing Kazuya away and aimed his laser at the ground instead against his will while, destroying a part of the ground underneath him and causing parts of the earth to open, revealing hot lava. By seeing this, the Brown Mobian looked at his newest keyblade in awe. "Ok, now THIS is cool!"

His attention was then put onto the young fighter, whom was staring at him. **"So...You still plan to get in my way of ridding of my father?"**

He nodded. "Of course I do! Nobody's getting killed today!"

**"...If only it was that simple." **He said simply, then suddenly flew towards him so he could punch him in the stomach, to which he was successful and knocked the air right out of him, to which led him to falling down onto the ground near the open cracks. The keyblade master tried to get up but was stopped by the young fighter himself grabbing him and kept him down to the ground while the old one ran to stop him, but ended up getting hit by the laser from his eyes. **"This...Is where you die." **

Kazuya started moving his gripping hand toward the open cracks so he could drag the hedgehog and make him fall into the pit of magma. This was it. This was how he was going to die, and it was all because he was searching for answers alone. But the dragging stopped by Kazuya getting hit by flames, but not any regular flames; Flames of darkness. He looked up to see that it was from Kathy, and the others with her.

He quickly got up. "Guys! You came!"

"Of course we did! We weren't about to let you handle this on your own!" Tails said.

"D-Daddy...Why did you have to do it without us? We could have helped you." Lilly asked sadly.

He felt bad for pushing them to the side like that, so bad he didn't even focus on her calling him 'Daddy'. "I'm sorry guys..."

The cat of purest twilight just smiled. "...Don't do it again next time."

"I won't..."

"Uh...Guys? Can we talk about sorrys later?!" Knuckles asked just before he threw his shield at the rising Kazuya, hitting and sending him forwards in no resistance to also help him with it, both Tails shot his Thunder spells while both Ken and Lilly ran to the fighter together and started to quickly attack the recovering fighter by holding each others hand and swinging their weapons and each other together . He didn't have enough time to recover and block the attacks, so that meant he had little to no chance against them at this rate, and as of now Heihachi now had a good amount of time to recover from the laser attack.

Upon doing the final attack, the Dark Chocolate furred animal let go of her small ally's hand while she was in the air and prepared his Wrench Wacker. "It's over!" He slammed it into the ground to create the shockwave and send the fighter upward, giving the old one enough time to leap and suddenly punch his own son in the stomach, sending him down onto the ground and caused more cracks on the ground to appear and dust to cover them. Once it cleared, it was revealed Kazuya was now defeated, lying down on the ground.

_**Kazuya Mishima: Defeated**_

The hedgehog sighed a bit in relief that it was over, but he felt something weird in him. Heihachi said that he could understand if he fought one with a dark heart, but there was something strange he felt instead; Nothing. "What?" He asked. "I don't get it...Aren't I suppose to feel like I have the answers?" He looked at the unconscious devil fighter being picked up by his father, and saw something that dropped all of their jaws; He dropped Kazuya into the opening so he could fall into the lava, burning him alive. "H-Heihachi! What are you doing?!"

He just smiled. "Ridding of the one obstacle getting in my way of regaining what I lost...And I have you five to thank for it."

"What? What do you even mean?" The fox asked.

"You see...When my son defeated me long ago...I had lost all I once had. The only way to regain it was to dispose of my son...I couldn't have done it by myself. But you...You five came to make my job easier. Redemption played no matter in this...Only to obtain what he stole from me."

"Then...Then what about what makes a hero then?!" The hedgehog asked.

"...Figure it out for yourself rodent."

That very response shocked him. All this time he thought he was fighting someone who was bad and alongside some who wanted to set it right, but in reality, he was fighting with someone who wasn't much better himself, and was used the entire time. The old fighter just walked out of the coliseum to leave them in shock.

The keyblade master just looked down, concerning the cat. "K-Ken?"

"If...He doesn't know what makes a hero...Then who does?" He asks.

"I think I know." A female voice said, making everyone look to see who it was; Jun Kazuma. "I watched everything...And I might have an idea on what it is...Maybe it isn't what you do that just makes a hero, like you wanted to know before. Stopping someone from doing evil is not just one thing. Can you guess on what helped you?"

The Hazel hedgehog started thinking about what she could mean. What did help him through it? He remembered his friends entering the battle when he was in trouble. Wait. Of course! That was it! "...I know what it is now. It's not just fighting for what's right...But it's also the strength of your heart and the bonds you make!" He looks over to his teammates now. "And my heart is with Tails, Knuckles, Kathy, Lilly, Katie and EX! They're people I want to fight with on battles and those I want to protect no matter what. As long as I have that, I can take anything." They smiled back at them.

**"Sheesh...You really believe in that junk? Don't rub all that sentimental stuff on me." **Dark Ken said in disgust. **"All this talk about friends and stuff just makes me sick to the stomach." **The keyblade master just ignored him, choosing not to respond

Jun smiled and nodded. "Yes...I believe that too." It was at that moment, a glow appeared on one of the large screens. "What is that?"

They all looked to see what made the glow, a keyhole was made. The wielder aimed the keyblade toward it and shot a laser of light towards it, hearing a locking sound long before it disappeared, but also left another X Tornado piece, which the small kangaroo picked up and gave it to Tails.

Ken started smiling, feeling confident in his question now answered, then looked at the woman. "Thanks...Jun. I know the answer now...Maybe I can finally continue my journey."

"Will you return?" She asks.

"Definitely...Especially when Heihachi rises from whatever he's planning."

"Then...I await your arrival until then. Please...Have a safe journey."

They nodded and grouped up to leave the world they were in now, but not before the sword wielding kangaroo waved. "Bye bye!" They flashed away and left her behind, whom was smiling until it faded away by her doing a certain action; Rubbing her stomach.

* * *

><p>The five of them appeared back into the X Tornado in their original seats. Once they did, the echidna looked over his shoulder to his hedgehog friend. "You got what you wanted?" He nodded.<p>

"Alright then! Let's get back on track to Traverse Town!" The Knothole fox said and made a quick U-turn back on track to their destination.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back into the world of HedgeHaven, a portal of darkness was created into the alleyway, revealing to be EX, whom just got out from Hollow Bastion. He went through the other side and looked around, seeing a group of four; Scythe, Kyo, Cathy, and Juliet. "...That must be her."<p>

He walked to them with his Heartless armor prepared, to which they noticed. "Hello. I've never seen you around here. Who are you?" Kyo asked while floating around the Crimson hedgehog, only to be suddenly taken down by a back hand. Doing so shocked them and prepared the killer hedgehog.

"Then you're for her, aren't you?! Are you working with him?!" He asked, but received no response. "Not one to talk, huh?!" He gripped on his sword and rushed toward the hedgehog of darkness, only for him to summon his soul eater and clashed with the blade, but the power in which resides with EX easily overpowered Scythe, sending him into a wall.

The Red Mobian then looks at both Cathy and Juliet, whom were scared for their lives, and pointed his weapon at the cat. "...If you don't want to get hurt, then run to your friends." And the small cat did just that and ran off, leaving him with the wolf-dragon hybrid. "...I found you, princess of heart."


	23. Chao Garden Chaos - Part I

_**Chapter XXIII: Chao Garden Chaos - Part I**_

It took the five heroes longer to get back to the area of Traverse town since they decided to stop back into King of the Iron Fist so that the keyblade master would get the answers he was seeking, to which he was able to find. Despite taking the time to do that, they arrived back into the town the four remembered very well, except Lilly since she was the newest in the group.

Right after they entered the area, she just looked around in awe. "Wooow, this place is so cool!"

"Yeah, and the town's still doing just fine." Tails stated. "But we can't really stay here for long though. We should hand the X Tornado pieces to Storm so he can install them in."

"Right. Maybe it can lead us to that 'Hollow Bastion' place Drek told us before." Ken said, but put his attention onto the small kangaroo. "By the way...I don't think I ever asked you before, but why were you in Veldin anyway, and how did you even live on a place like that?"

She shrugged. "I don't really know. I just know I lived there for the longest amount of time."

"No memory of your mom or anything?"

"I remember her really well. One day she just...Poofed away."

They felt sad for her, knowing that her mother just up and left her one day. The other four looked at each other and nodded, all thinking the same thing; When everything was settled, they wanted to find her mother for her. But for now, they needed to get to Hollow Bastion and stop Black Doom, and in order to find its location, they needed to help of the Albatross in order to do it.

Leading the way, they made it into the accessory shop to meet up with the large White bird, entering to see him. "Hey Storm!" The keyblade master said with a smile.

He looked to see them. "Hey, um, Ken and...Um...Guys! Nice to see ya again!" He noticed Lilly now. "Who're you?"

"I'm Lilly!"

"Well, um, hello! A friend of his is a...Um...Friend of mine! Yeah, that's it! Anyway, what is it you...Um...Guys want?"

The fox handed him the two X Tornado pieces. "We need you to put these into our ride so we can get somewhere named 'Hollow Bastion'."

"HOLLOW BASTION?!" He asked, which took them by surprise. "J-J-Jeez! I haven't been...Um...There for a long time! Nine years at least! That was me and...Um, Jet's home!"

"Well we think Black Doom is there, and we need to stop him any way we can." The Hazel Mobian said. "Think you can isntall it for us?"

The White feathered bird sighed to relax and nodded. "Y-Yeah, sure. But it...Um...Might take a while. Maybe you could...Um...Pass some time at Sharha's?"

The hedgehog then remembered something back at her place; About the small snow globe-like object from before. "Oh yeah...That globe! We should check that out!" He nods. "Alright Storm, see you then."

Both him and the others walked together from the first district into the third so they could get to where the ring genie lived. Upon entering the Arabian decored room, they saw the Pink haired female inside reading a book about magic. With them entering in, she looked up to them with a smile. "Welcome back wielder of the keyblade, Tails and Knuckles." She looked at the cat of twilight. "And welcome back Kathy. I see you have fully mastered your powers of twilight. Impressive for someone of such a young age."

Kathy smiled and nodded. "It's because you helped me...Thank you."

"Of course." Sharha said, then noticed the newest member of the group. "And you brought a new friend with you. What's your name?"

"Her name's Lilly. She helped us big time back on one of the worlds named Veldin." Ken said to her. "Anyway, we were going to head off back to our next place, but since it's going to take a while, we decided to stop by here, figure we would try and enter into that globe of yours."

"You wish to attempt your entry?"

He nodded and walked over to the small globe that was on the stand in the edge of the room, and he touched it to see if anything would happen. But upon doing it, it caused the small object to glow brightly in a White-Blue shine, which surprised everyone. "W-What the?" The flash suddenly covered his entire body and blinded everyone, but once it resolved, he was no longer there. Where did he go? Did he run away or was he taken?

The echidna looked around. "Ken? Where are you?!"

"Daddy?! Are you ok?" The Magenta hair colored animal asked. "What happened to him?"

"I am...Unsure." The ring genie said. "If I were to guess, perhaps the globe drug him into it. We do not match his power in magic and therefore, cannot follow him within. Only he himself can escape..." The sound of it made the kangaroo sad.

"Daddy..."

The sound of her voice made the master of Sonic sad. She must really care for the keyblade master to no end, but that sadness turned into a smile. "...Who wants to play Candy Land?"

The sound of that game made her instantly smile. "MEEE!"

* * *

><p>The wielder of the legendary weapon yelled while he fell through a tunnel of light, and saw nothing but White the entire way, and felt as of now he was starting to slow down right before he landed on his feet. By doing so, the light around him faded away to create a new area; It was a large field of grass filled with trees and near him was a log, with a White creature sitting on it.<p>

He stared at the being in wonder. "Where am I? And what is this place? And...I wonder who he is."

**"Perhaps someone I could kill myself!" **Dark Ken said, which annoyed him. **"Hiya faker, I'm back after that fight with Kazuya! That talk about friends and crap gave me a headache and I decided to take a nap! Wanna know what I dreamed of? Me taking your body for myself!"**

_"Tell that to someone who cares. I'm not listening to anything you say." _He thought right back at him, then put his attention on the small animal and walked over to see what it looked like; It was a creature that looked much like Cheese, Sonic's pet chao, but was White, two buds on the top of its head, and a Blue halo floating on its head. "He little guy, you alright?" He sits next to him. "Is everything alright?"

The little chao just shrugged. "No, not really! I'm wondering on how I can say goodbye to Hero-Chao!"

"Hero-Chao?"

"Huh? What is it?"

"Wha-What a second...YOU'RE Hero-Chao?"

Hero-Chao nodded with a small smile. "Yep! I'm Hero-Chao! Hero for short."

"I'm Ken, Ken the Hedgehog. But just call me Ken."

"Oh, well nice to meet you! But are you here to say goodbye to me Hero-Chao too?"

"Why would I want to do that? We just met!"

"Because all my friends are gone." The small Chao said. "My friends Fly, Power, Swim, and Run, and Nights Chao are gone too! We all always ate fruit from the fruit tree, did races, karate, and always swam in the pool. We were all happy here in the Chao Garden. But now I'm all alone, with nobody saying goodbye. So, maybe I should say goodbye to myself too! But how do I do that?" He rubbed his small head. "Ooooh, my brain really hurts! Maybe I should eat some fruit to calm it down!"

He jumped off of the log and walked away while holding his head, with Ken not to far behind.

_**X-Chao Garden-X**_

* * *

><p>He kept following the small chao as best as he could for a long amount of time, wondering if this little being would really get anywhere, but he was finally able to find the angel creature, shaking what appeared to be a large palm tree in the middle of the fields. He wondered if this was where the inhabitants got their fruit from.<p>

Hero-Chao kept shaking the fruit, but nothing fell out, making him sit down and start tearing up. "No fruit...I'm so hungry right now..."

The keyblade master couldn't help but feel sad for him. "Poor little guy...If only there was something I could do to help."

"Well you can!" A small and energetic voice said, making him look to see a small mechanical chao with Orange eyes, propeller on his head, feet, and hands. "Hello, my name is Omochao! And I'm here to help."

"...You sure do talk alot, don't you?"

"That's my job! I'm always here to give the chao advice, and now here I am giving you yours! You're from the outside, huh?!" Omochao asked, to which the Hazel hedgehog nodded. "Then you really might help us! You see, a dark mist came around one day and took away all of the chao in the Chao Garden! Everyone is gone and they can't be found, but you might help us!"

"Huh...Alright, how exactly?"

"Just help everyone's problems and more chances to help them come up! Like you just did now! You helped my problem by agreeing to help out!"

"Really? That easy?"

"That easy! Now, go help the next person's problem!"

He wasn't sure on how he could find someone else and help the next chaos problem, but he knew he had to try somehow, so he nodded and walked away from the scene.

* * *

><p>The Dark Caramel hedgehog walked through the fields more and more so he could find where the next chao he could help be, but he ended being in a brand new area now; It was a small little fenced in field, a small pool, and something that stuck out the most; A large tree, bigger than the one before, filled with a large variety of fruits in shapes, colors, and sizes. He just observed the tree for the longest amount of time until he saw something moving from behind the tree. It was a Green angel-like chao with a Green halo and a little Yellow tummy.<p>

"H-Hero Chao? Where are you? It's me! Run-Chao!" It just yelled loudly. "Where are you!? Please talk to me!" He looked around frantically to find his lost friend while Ken watched and listened from the distance, hearing all that he head. So he walked over to the Green chao , to which it saw his shadow, and looked up and directly at him, filled with fear. "A-A-A...IT'S A MONSTER!"

He quickly ran hid behind the tree in fear and shaking greatly, hoping to hid from the Dark Chocolate hedgehog. Wanting to be a gentle as possible, he quietly walked over to him and kneedled down to you. "Hey, hey...It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. You're looking for Hero-Chao, right?"

"H-Huh? You know Hero-Chao?" Run-Chao asked, making him walk away from where he hid and sighed. "I-I'm sorry for hiding!"

"It's alright little guy, no harm done."

Meanwhile nearby, both of them saw something flying by them, which got the running one excited. "Hero-Chao!"

The White angel chao looked up to see the tree now, making him smile brightly and drool. "The tree's back! It's chow time!" He looked to his side since he heard something running towards him, but was suddenly tackled by the Green one down onto the ground and gave him a tight hug. "S-Sheesh Run-Chao! Easy!"

"Hero-Chao! I'm so glad you're ok!"

"I-I won't be if you keep squeezing me!"

"O-Oh! I'm sorry!" He said before getting off of him.

"Thanks Run-Chao!" Hero-Chao said and got up quickly to look at the tree again with his mouth getting all watery. "Yippe! Lunch time!" He started up his small angel wings and begun flying through some of the branches on the tree, picking up some of the fruit and begun eating.

Both of the watched the flying chao eating his food happily with a smile. "I'm glad to see him eating. He was really starving." He then started thinking. _"You know...If there's a hero chao here...I wonder if there's an evil chao."_

**"I don't sense a chao here with darkness such as people like Drek or Ganondorf. But wouldn't THAT be cool, faker? I'd love to see what something as cute and soft like that have it!"**

_"Alright...Admitably that would be interesting to see- Wait a minute! Since when did you and I agree on something?"_

**"I...Don't know. Oh man, that mushy stuff of yours actually IS getting to me! I gotta think of somethin' else! Oh yeah! You want to know what else would be interesting to see?"**

_"Yeah, I already know where this is going. I'm just going to cut it off right here."_

"You brought back the tree! Good job!" A energetic voice said, making them look to see it was Omochao. "Not only that, but you found Run-Chao! You're doing great! Keep on searching!"

He flew away to leave them be, especially the White chao since he could eat so much with the little body he has. Ken looked back at what he was doing, knowing he'll be seeing him again around the Chao Garden, and walked off to fix the next problem.


	24. Chao Garden Chaos - Part II

_**Chapter XXIV: Chao Garden Chaos - Part II**_

After solving the problem with the Great fruit tree in the Chao Garden, Ken started walking through a large set of fields, wondering to find the next place he could find. But he did find something in the end, seeing a small little mudhouse that wasn't to far from him, which holds a small garden of fruits, and both Speed and Hero chao looking through a small hole on one of the walls.

Upon seeing them, he sped up his walk to them. "Hey guys, something up?"

"It's this house! Power-Chao's house is back!" Speed-Chao said. "But he's not home! I hope he's ok though!"

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Hero-Chao asked through the small hole.

"Nobody's home!" A voice through it said.

"Nobody?"

"That's right! Nobody!"

"Oh...Um, excuse me nobody...But have you seen Power-Chao?" The White angel chao asked now. Despite looking so adorable, he must not have been very smart. Maybe not smart enough since he started crawling through the hole. "Power-Chao, are you there?"

This started making the hedgehog wonder now if the person on the other side was really this chao they called 'Power'. So, wanting to find out, he and the Green chao walked to the door and entered through it to see a small chao in a small wooden kitchen, but not like the others though; It was a bulky Red chao with a same colored ball floating on top of his head. The Red creature just watched with its mouth open as they saw Hero-Chao just crawling through it and making his way to the other side.

Right after entering, he got up from the fall. "Hi Power-Chao!"

It just sighed. "Hi Hero-Chao..." He looked at both Speed-Chao and the keyblade master now. "Hello to you too Speed-Chao and...That's funny. I don't remember you."

"Huh?" The Hazel one asked. "Oh, me! I'm Ken. I'm a new friend of theirs."

"Oh, I see!" Power-Chao said, then looked back to where the White one stood. "Anyway, I'm sorry Hero-Chao, but I don't have any-"

"FRUIT!" A voice said, making them look to see it was Hero-Chao grabbing a box of fruit and started eating from it.

Upon seeing it, the Red creature just hung his head. "Why do I even bother?"

"Uh...Sorry for the fruit." The hedgehog said.

"Nah, it's fine...He always comes here around noon to eat the fruit I work so hard to make. I'm use to it."

"Really? Huh..." He looks back at his small White friend eating the fruit to his hearts content, deciding that he'll see him in another part of the world he was in. So, he exited the small house and walked away so he could get back on track until he heard a small voice yelling. He looked back to it was Speed-Chao running to him. "Hey, what's up little guy?"

"It's Hero-Chao! He's in trouble!" He said in a bit of fear.

Worried for his little friend, he quickly ran back alongside the Green chao. However, the moment he entered in, his thoughts of complete worry turned into he thought was hilarious upon seeing the scene; The small angel chao was in the holes from where he came, but he was stuck and his legs just wiggled. He tried so hard to not laugh. "J-Jeez...I don't know if I should laugh or not! And I thought Tails had the bad luck!"

"W-What happened?! Did the holes get smaller?!" Hero-Chao asked.

"It's not that it got smaller. You just ate too much!" Power-Chao said, then prepared his small bulky fist. "Get ready!" He punched him in the butt, but instead of sending him out of the hole, it sent the one who threw the fist against his wooden fridge, causing small wooden utensils to fall down. "...That didn't work."

The hedgehog finally calmed down for what was going on, and started thinking of a way to help him. "Maybe we should try pulling him out." They nodded together and walked outside again to the other side of the hole, seeing the Snow White angel chao was indeed stuck. "You alright little guy?"

"I'll be fine...Until I have more fruit!" He said, which made everyone either sweatdrop or moan.

"You're not getting anymore fruit until your out of there!" The Crimson one said. "Come on! Help me yank him out!" They all grabbed a part of him they could grasp. "Ready? Heave...HO!" They all started pulling, but all of their attempts did nothing. "Oh man, nothing's working! If he doesn't get out, my hole will be plugged up forever!"

"Is there something you can do to help Hero-Chao?" The running chao asked.

Power-Chao started to think on what options they could try until he thought of one. "I have an idea! We need to make a juice of all sorts of fruits! Round, Triange, and Square fruits! Mix them together and add a little bit of a Heart fruit, and we have a cure to slimming him down! There should be some of the stuff we need in my garden!"

Both Ken and and Speed-Chao nodded and the two of them, and the Powerful chao included, started picking some of the fruits from the small vines that came from the ground. While the Dark Chocolate Mobian looked, he discovered something that surprised him; The last of Miku's songs, the last nine of them. Combined with the ones he gave to her, this made all ninty nine of her lost songs.

Upon doing this, he smiled. "This is great! Oh man, won't SHE be happy!"

"Um...Power-Chao? We have a problem." Speed-Chao said, catching their attention. "I can't find a Heart fruit!"

"Really? You too?" He asked, given a nod by the both of them. "That's not good! I thought they'd be ready by now! If I don't have any, where can we find them?!"

"Fly-Chao! Wait for me!" A voice yelled, to which they looked to see it was two chao chasing each other, and ending up toward the Red chao's home. One of them was Purple and had four hair-like things that's coming out of the top of its head, Blue and White angel-like wings, and a Yellow halo. The other was a bit lighter than Purple, but has a head that looks a bit like a jester, and Bright Yellowish wings.

"Come on! Catch me if you can Nights-Chao!" Fly-Chao said while looking back at him, now knowing where he was going, and ended up crashing into the keyblade master's face. "Ow!" They both fell down and looked at each other. "Oh, hey! I haven't seen you before!" He flew upward to get off of him. "Are you new?"

"Oh, hi Fly-Chao!" Hero-Chao said within the distance. "You just landed into my new friend Ken!"

"Really? Cool! My name's Fly-Chao! And that's Nights-Chao with me!"

The jester-like chao bowed. "It's nice to meet you!"

The Brown animal nodded back and noticed something in Night-Chao's hands; a Heart-like fruit. "Hey, is that a Heart-Fruit?"

"Huh? Um...Yeah, it is."

"I'd hate to ask you this...But can we have it? Hero-Chao's stuck and-"

"Did he eat too much again?"

He just nodded, only to be given the fruit instantly. This must have meant this wasn't the only time this happened. But regardless, they entered back into the kitchen and turned all the fruits they found into a glass of Purple liquid.

Once finished, the Red chao gave him the glass. "Drink it. It'll help." Hero-Chao instantly drank it and gave the glass back to him, just before they grabbed onto him again. "Let's try again. Ready? Heave...HO!"

They all started pulling on him, but something sudden happened. They were able to get him out, but by pulling them, they accidentally sent him flying by the amount of force. "WAAA! HELP MEEE!" He flew into the sky and all that they could see of him was a twinkle in it.

"...Um...Is he going to be alright?" Ken asked.

"Yep. Trust me, this happened before." Power-Chao said.

"Looks like you helped another problem now!" A voice said while it desended downward, which caught the Dark Caramel hedgehog's attention. "You're doing a really good job!"He flew off again to leave the scene.

The key-shaped sword wielder just watched him fly away, then looked at where the Bright White chao went and ran off to follow him.

* * *

><p>He kept running as fast as he could to catch up to his flying friend, and he did make it, which led him to a small field like the others, only this time there was a river under a bridge that was connected to two parts of land, and on the other side was a tree with a swing on it. But on the bridges was both Hero-Chao and Nights-Chao on the edge, looking at something.<p>

Wondering on what it was, he walked over to them. "Hey guys. What is it?"

"There's something in the water!" The jester chao said. "And it's floating away!"

"Really?" He asked, then looked to see what it was; A Yellow Chao, which has a Blue halo, and pedal-like things going down to its head. "It's a chao!"

"Oh! It's Swim-Chao!" Hero-Chao said. "Hi Swim-Chao!"

The swimming chao looked up and rose from the surface. "Hi Hero-Chao. Sorry, but I don't have time to waste! I have to find something!"

"Huh? What is it then?"

"It's...It's my ribbon for winning the swimming races!" He said sadly. "It's the first badge I ever won and now it's gone!"

The Dark Brown hedgehog couldn't help but feel sad for the Yellow being, then smiled. "Don't worry, we'll help you find it. Right guys?" They nodded. "Then let's go find it for him!"

"Maybe we should check in the sky first!" Nights-Chao said. "If I'm high enough in the sky, I can find it! Let's use the swing to throw me into the air"

They agreed to that idea and both Ken and the jester chao ran over to the swing so they could find it. The chao jumped onto the swing while the keyblade master got behind. "You sure you want to do this?"

"You bet! I'm ready, willing, and-" He was saying but was suddenly swung to fast and sudden and was shot into the air. "WAIT! I WASN'T READY! I DIDN'T GIVE THE WORD!" He just yelled in fear while swinging his arms right before he started dropping like a rock, though thankfully he landed into a bush to cushion his fall. He got out of the shrub with sticks and leaves stuck to him. "...PLEASE wait next time so I can finish what I say!"

Hero-Chao couldn't help but laugh at his friend for what happened, but he stopped when he saw something else instead of the leaves and small pieces of wood. "Fly-Chao! On your head!"

"Huh?" He asked while feeling anything on his head, then felt something that was far different. He looked at it to see what it was; A ribbon. "Swim-Chao! We found your ribbon!"

This caught his attention. "You did?!" He asked right before jumping out of the river and ran over to see it while the keyblade wielder caught up. "M-My ribbon!" He took it from his hands while getting teary eyes until he hugged it tightly. "I thought I lost you forever!" He put it on his chest, feeling his glory. "Thank you for finding it!"

"Wow, you did a good job!" The voice of Omochao said while desending, to which they looked. "Because of your help, the Chao Garden is fully restored by you solving everyone's problems! Thank you so much!"

He flew away to leave them now, while the wielder of the keyblade smiled while watching, feeling a large amount of accomplishment.

* * *

><p>After a while, both him and all of the other chao were now back to the Great fruit tree, staring at the sky to see shooting stars while sitting together. For some reason, he couldn't help but think of Destiny Islands long before it was destroyed.<p>

While staring, Speed-Chao sighed happily. "I'm so glad we're together again! It was so lonely being alone!"

"Aw, don't be like that Speed-Chao! You just needed to be brave is all!" Fly-Chao said with a smile. "I was scared too, but I know that no matter what, we'll always be together! No matter what happens!"

"Really? Ooooh...I'll remember that! Thanks Fly-Chao!"

The Dark Chocolate hedgehog just smiled at what they were both saying. If that was true, then regardless, both him and EX are still friends, despite being on two different sides.

They kept staring at the stars until one of the glowed brightly. "Huh? What's that?" Power-Chao asked until the light formed into something they didn't expect; A keyhole.

_"There was one here too?" _Ken thought, but then smiled while summoning his Wrench Wacker keyblade, to everyone's surprise, and slowly aimed it toward the hole to lock the hole through a beam of light. Upon doing that, they all heard a locking sound before it disappeared.

"H-Huh? What was that?" Omochao asked.

At that moment, the wielder of the weapon got up. "It means I have to go."

"Really? Where?" Nights-Chao asked now.

"Back to where I came from...My friends are on the other side, and they're waiting for me. So...I have to go see them."

"Oh, alright!" Hero-Chao said with a smile. "Remember, you're ALWAYS welcome here anytime! Just make sure to come back!"

He nodded with a smile and crouched down to give him a hug. "...I will. It might be a while, but I'll be back." He got up and walked off to a different direction while the other chao waved their goodbyes. He looked over his shoulder to see what they were doing, and waved back before he disappeared into sparkles and turned into a shooting star, making them looked at it in awe.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on the outside, Sharha and the others were sitting near the circular table playing 'Candy Land'. It was Knuckle's and rolled his die, which was a one, and was about to move a space.<p>

"Now, remember Knuckles, for the 371th time. If it's one, you GO up one space." Tails explained to him, which made the echidna extremely worried and started wondering if what he was about to do was right. However, he went up from the start of the board to the finish, which made the fox facepalm. "...Forget it."

At that moment, a bright light came out of the globe, which caught their attention, and faded away to leave the hedgehog behind in it. The very sight of him made Lilly excited. "Daddy! You're back!" She leaped to him and instantly hugged him, which caught him off guard.

"She was wondering on when you'd be back. She couldn't even focus on the game." Sharha said with a smile while their hug stopped. "So, you've fixed the globe?" He nodded and gave it to her, to which she fondled with care. "It's rather strange...It feels so much more...Happier now." Upon saying that, a part of the globe glowed now, making a small golden tag that said 'Ken and the Chao.'. "Oooh, it'a a globe that tells a story."

"Tells a story?" Kathy asked.

"Yes. A story of six little chao who always played and ate to their hearts desires. A story of happiness for the chao to enjoy. Interesting..." She said while holding it close. "So, what else will you five do now?"

"Well..." Ken said while taking out all of the remaining music sheets. "I'm thinking of returning these to Miku before we head out to our next place."

"Hollow Bastion?" The ring genie asked, which surprised them but nodded. "Beware of that place. It was once a place that was ruled by the man known as Rian to protect them. But since Black Doom arose, it's a place filled with the Heartless. Be careful my friends." They nodded, heeding her advice, and walked out to finish up anything else they needed to do.


	25. Missing Links Revealed

_**Chapter XXV: Missing Links Revealed**_

It was at least a few minutes since the keyblade master left the globe that led to the Chao Garden, and it was because of being with them that they gave him a new thought in mind; Despite being on different sides, light and darknesd, or being away from each other, they would still be friends regardless. But in order to make sure that, they needed to get to this place known as 'Hollow Bastion' But to do that, they needed the X Tornado updated to do that, which might take a while. So to pass time, with what happened a while back doing that, they hedgehog decided to give the last remaining pages to Miku.

Along the way, the small kangaroo got curious. "So what are we doing now Daddy?"

"Alright...First off, I'm not a dad, and second, we're going to where a friend of mine is at right now." Ken explained. "I don't think you guys saw her yet. I don't think she'll mind."

They were curious on who this girl was, but decided to go with it. They all entered into the second district so they get to the house near the gizmo shop, and entered it with the others. "Hey Miku! I'm back!"

The Blue haired girl perked up and looked to see them with a smile. "Good to...See you again!" He was sure her English was nearly perfect since the last time he saw her. She looked at all of them. "Who are...These?"

"These guys are Tails, Knuckles, Kathy, and Lilly. They're friends of mine." The hedgehog said, then looked at Lilly, who had her mouth wide open. "Uh...Lilly?"

The Japanese singer wondered if she was ok, tilting her head to the side until the youngest one of the group squealed happily. "OH MY GOD IT'S HER!" She yelled while hugging around her tightly. "I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!" They couldn't help but sweatdrop at her actions, but then after a while they started to pry her off so they could get back to why they were there.

"Anyway..." The Hazel Mobian said. "I'm here to give you back the last of those music sheets for you."

He took the last sixty nine pages, which made her smile and hug him tightly. "Thank you very much!"

"It's not a problem. Now...About that song we talked about if I got them for you."

She smiled and nodded, preparing herself while also grabbing a microphone and one of her songs sheets, which was one of her famous ones; 'I Wanna Be Your World'. She begun singing, which sounded a bit technoish despite looking so human. Despite some parts of it being Japanese, he was able to understand it clearly; About his dreams from the very beginning, and looking forward in what lies ahead of you. Especially there being a distance, which he was able to understand fully. By the end of all of this, he wanted everything like it was before the Heartless came. That's what he hoped for anyway.

When she finished her song, she was given a round of applause and bowed down respectfully for them, then looked at the hedgehog. "Thank you very...Much. For doing this."

"And thank you for singing. You were great." He said, which made her blush slightly. "When your world returns, I know you'll do great. Just keep doing what you did for me."

"Thank you...Again. Something for your...Travels."

He was curious to what she meant by that, but his answer was received by something else that took him by surprise; A kiss on the forehead by her. He blushed at it slightly.

_**"Awww, did the idiot finally forget about his dead girlfriend and move on?"**_

_"S-Shut up! And she's not dead!"_

_**"Sure, and do you know what else you should move on from? You resisting on me taking your-"**_

_"NOT another word." _He thought, ending the communication, then rubbed his quills. "Well then, we better be off. See you later!"

She waved goodbye to them and left right after Lilly struggled to stay, but her resistance meant nothing in the long run. Along the way, what Dark Ken said before got him thinking now; Was she really dead like he said? Not literally, but spiritually? Was she no longer there? The very thought of all of that made him sad and not wanted to think about it too much. They kept walking until they entered the accessory shop once again, which was where Storm usually was, but no sign of him.

They decided to wait until Kathy noticed Ken's sad expression, making her worried. "Ken? Are...You ok?"

They took notice of this now. "Hey now, don't get so sad on us now. We won't take a keyblade master that's sad." Tails said.

"Yep, and we won't someone sad be in our group." Knuckles also said with a smile. "In this group, there no such thing as sad faces or frowning. Only smiling."

Upon hearing that, the Dark Chocolate animal shook his head. "...I don't get it. How can you guys be so happy? We still haven't found a lead to your friend Sonic!

"Nah, we're not worried about him too much. Because he told us to find the guy that's the 'key, and that was you! So, as long as we're together, everything will be just fine."

"Yeah, and you just have to believe! Remember?" The kangaroo asked. "You...Believe, right Daddy?"

He thought about it and nodded. "Right...Believe..."

_"I believe in you." _A female voice said.

The sound of that shocked him, but it was one he recognized; Katie's. He wondered if she was nearby, but his mind was put into a White flash, putting his mind into a memory.

* * *

><p><em>"Mommy! Mommy!" A young voice said while she ran through what appeared to be a library, with the hedgehog watching all that was happening and was surprised to see who the young one was; A four year old Katie. She ran up to another hedgehog sitting on an old chair, whom had Red fur, like she did, and Blue eyes. "Mommy, can you tell me about the story again?"<em>

_She just chuckled. "Again?" She sighed with a smile. "Alright, alright. I'll tell you it again." She cleared her throat. "This is the tale of light and darkness..."_

_Those very words he remembered, it was the same wording that Grey hedgehog, Jasmine, said while she walked alone in the darkness. When he thought of that, his mind flashed to another flash back._

* * *

><p><em>"How about I tell you a story? Would you like that?" Jasmine asked. She knew the small unborn baby wouldn't talk, but it comforted her. "Let me tell you a story a soon to be mother told me...About the tale of light and darkness..." She took a deep breath and smiled. "Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved it. Then...People fought for it so they could keep it for themselves. And darkness was created within their hearts...Spreading and swallowing the light and people's hearts. It covered everything...And disappeared. But small fragments survived...In the hearts of children. With it, they rebuilt the lost world...The world we live in now. But...True light lives deep in the darkness. That's why the worlds now are scattered...Right? And one day, a door to the biggest of darkness will open, an true light will return as well. In the deepest of darkness...There's light. Believe in it, and darkness will never rid of you...You understand me...Right?"<em>

_Despite not being the possible child, Ken understood fully well. If what she said was true, then no matter what, EX would survive the darkness because he holds that small fragment of light. _

_After telling the tale, she just started crying heavily and held her stomach. "I love you...Ken the Hedgehog."_

_The very sound of what she just said shocked him to a whole new level. This girl held Hamon's child, and he indeed looked much like him, then, could it have really been true? A part of what Hamon said before finally filled in for him, understanding him fully._

_"...I won't stop until you're put to rest...For Jasmine...Ashen...and my only son...Ken's fate!"_

_Many questions ran through him mind, but they were interrupted by another flashback._

* * *

><p><em>Jasmine breathed heavily in pain while she held baby hedgehog in arms in a dark beach. He observed it to see who it was, which shocked him even more; A baby Ken. It was him, and there was no denying it. He's the son of Hamon and Jasmine. It was them, he found his parents, but the sad part of it was his dad was most likely dead, and his mother...Who knows?<em>

_She looks at the crying hedgehog while she cried herself. "It's ok...It's all ok...You'll be safe...I promise." She started covering him in light. "There's one place I know you'll be safe in...The islands...Please...Live for me, my son!" The light covered him more until he shot out into a ray of light, disappearing from her hands. Upon doing that, she just started crying harsher, feeling complete sadness of what she did._

* * *

><p>"Ken? Are you alright?"<p>

He opened his eyes, looking at everyone to see the source of it was Tails. "Y-Yeah?"

"You're...Crying. Did something happen?"

"N-No. I'm fine."

At that moment, the door opened, revealing to be Storm. "Uuuh, hey guys! I got that part...Uh...Installed for ya! All ready to...Go! Yeah, that's it!"

"Well we shouldn't waste anymore time then." Knuckles said. "Come on, let's go!"

They all grouped up and quickly flashed away to the X Tornado, but not after waving goodbye, leaving the Albatross alone. "Man, you've gotta...Uh...Love those guys!"

* * *

><p>The five reappeared into the mobile they know and love, and started it up while Ken just stared outside, which made everyone a bit worried.<p>

_"...Don't worry mom...I promise I'll protect the light...For you and Dad." _He thought.

**"You're really believing in that crap?" **Dark Ken asked. **"Sheesh, you're an idiot."**

He just ignored him and focused on what he planned to do as of now; Stop Black Doom, save EX and Katie, seal the final keyhole, and protect the light. That's what he planned for at least, and the first thing to do in order to do that is for the X Tornado to fly over to Hollow Bastion, to which it did later on.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in Hollow Bastion, EX came through a dark portal that he created on his own, with the Heartless armor on him and carrying something on his shoulder; An unconscious Juliet. He put her down gently near Black Doom. "I brought her. All that's left is just one more."<p>

He nodded. "You've redeemed of your haste actions, EX. Now all that remains is one more princess of heart. You've done well." He said until he suddenly felt something within the distance. "...We have an intruder...One in which he survived his world being ridden, and used his own heart and power and ripped through the barriers. Rid of him." The hedgehog of darkness nodded and started his way. "Beware of his power, it is strong."

"...What kinda power are we talkin' about?"

"...A power known as Reiatsu. Thought be weary when he uses it's fullest power...Bankai."

* * *

><p>At the same time outside of the castle, a young man with Orange spikey hair and wore what appeared to be Black robes, with the inside of the bottom being Red, and held a Black katana-like sword.<p>

He breathes heavily while gripping on it. "Or-Orihime..." He said quietly.


	26. The Hollow Castle - Part I

_**Chapter XXVI: The Hollow Castle - Part I**_

It was at least an hour or so since the heroes left Traverse Town, and with the thanks of Storm, they were finally on their way to where the leader of the Heartless, Black Doom, awaited; Hollow Bastion. Though along the way, Ken had his Wrench Wacker keyblade all prepared and ready for whatever was to happen, to which concerned the others. Yeah, he was quite at some points, that wasn't what bothered them; What DID bother them was the look on his face. His face held all kinds of emotions such as sadness, calmness, and at some points, anger.

The very sight of whom Lilly considered to be a father figure made her worried. "Daddy? Are you ok?"

He wanted to say something by her calling him that, but sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm..."

"No, you're not. Something's bothering you."

"And I said I'm fine." He said back at her. "Is there something wrong with being ready to deal with what's about to happen?"

"No, of course not." Kathy said now. "But I've never see you...Like this."

"Hey! We're here now!" Tails said while he slowly halted the X Tornado, with everyone now looking to see the world; It was a piece of land that contained a twisted and sinister looking castle that had some parts that looked a bit like pipes coming out. Upon looking at what was in front of them, he looked back. "You sure you guys want to go now? Because once we get in, there's no way we're going to leave."

Without any hesitation, the keyblade master nodded. "Let's land on this thing." The sunshine colored fox nodded and the five of them flashed into a light and shot out toward th world in front of them. There was no way to back away now.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>X-Hollow Bastion-X<strong>_

The five of the flashed onto a part of land that made made of stone, then looked around to see they were in the inside of two waterfalls rising up. The fox observed this. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"Or that either?" Knuckles asked while pointing at what was ahead of them; A sinister looking castle.

While looking at it, the hedgehog felt the one part of warmness in his heart. "I don't know why...But I feel like...I've been here before...Like, long ago." Perhaps he was here one time when he was in Jasmine's stomach as a baby? Maybe that was it.

**"What? Getting scared now faker? Do you want your mommy and daddy?" **Dark Ken asked with a laugh.

_"...You know, one of these days I'm going to kick you right out."_

**"Please, I think you got it all mixed up. YOU'RE going to be the one kicked out once I get a hold of your body!" **

He was about to counter what he said mentally until they all heard a battle cry in the distance and weapons clashing. The very sound of that caught their attention. "What was that?" Kathy asked.

"Sounds like someone fighting! Come on! Let's go!"

Together, they jumped from piece of floating rock to piece quickly to get to the sight of where this battle was taking place. They were able to make it and saw who was fighting who; EX with his soul eater out, but not his Heartless armor on yet, and the Orange haired teenager from before on his knees weakly with his sword stabbed into the ground. They were surprised that it was the Ruby-Red hedgehog, but they were wondering on who the other one was.

The hedgehog of darkness just scoffed. "...Here's something I don't get; How? How could you make it this far? You don't have a means of transportation from a ship or the Heartless...How?"

The boy just started getting up. "Because...Because I had to believe in myself...In my heart...Just like she did." He started getting up more and more. "When my world, my sisters, my idiot father, Uryu, Rukia, Chad, and most importantly Orihime...I promised...I would save her, no matter what."

"Really? Is that right?"

"Yeah...And I won't stop trying to win against you to get to her..."

"Then tell me, why do you still try then?"

"Because...Because I'm not fighting because I want to win...I'm fighting..." He fully got up and aimed his Black katana-like sword at him. "...Because I have to win!"

EX the aimed his demon wing-like weapon toward him. "Then try if you can!" The Orange haired boy rushed to him while yelling and having his sword prepared, to which the headehog of darkness leaped backwards to dodge it, which he barely did alone, and countered the attempted slash by landing from the flip and slashed across the teens chest.

Upon doing that, he just lied back down onto the ground weakly, which made the Crimson Mobian scoff. "Pathetic...To think this is all you had. I think it's about time I put you out of your misery." He rose his soul eater so he could prepare to stab him.

"STOP!" A voice said, stopping the attack to reveal it was Ken with his Kingdom Key keyblade, then clashed away to get near the boy, while the other caught up to him. "...I can't believe you...I'd get beating someone...But this?"

"...So you're here." The darkness filled one said. "I thought you decided to run away..." The keyblade master just looked down.

"EX...How could turn into something like this?" Kathy asked. "This isn't you!"

"You're talking to the wrong person...Talk to Ken here. Ever since he left the islands, he's always run around to show off that weapon of his...But that ends as of now. There can't be two people that can wield the keyblade."

This confused them now. "What do you mean by that?" Tails asked.

"It means that I was the one who was suppose to wield it." EX explained. "Ken here isn't the original wielder...Turns out it was trying to find its master, but I left the moment it came. So, with nowhere left to go, it went on the the SECOND best." He rose his Golden gauntlet up. "Now...Watch as the keyblade chooses it's true master!"

At that moment, the weapon in the Brown hedgehog's hand suddenly moved quickly, trying to escape his grasp until it flashed away into a bright light, shocking them. "W-WHAT?!" The Knothole knights asked in shock.

Instead of disappearing, it reappeared in the hand of the gauntlet, and seeing it made him laugh a bit lowly and observed his new weapon. "...Black Doom was right...You don't have what it takes to save Katie!" He looks at his former friend. "It's up to me now...Only the REAL keyblade master can open the secret door and change the world!"

"B-But...I don't get it!" Ken said in shock. "After everything I went through...I defeated Heartless, stopped people like Ganondorf, Drek and Bowser, and saved multiple lives with the keyblade!"

"...You were just the delivery boy...So your part's over now." EX said, then took something out and threw it to the former-keyblade masters feet; A wooden sword. "If you really want to keep playing hero, just go play with that...You're done."

He just stared at the wooden sword in disbeilef and fell to his hands and knees. After everything he went through, after all the batters he fought alongside his friends, did it really mean nothing in the long run? This was really reality. His efforts to save the world now ended here. Both Kathy and Lilly kneeled down to help him, while both the fox and echidna looked at him, then at each other.

The Yellow mage nodded. "Knuckles, we should go...We have to complete our mission."

"But..What about-" Knuckles tried to say.

"There's nothing we can do...As much as I want to help him."

"Well...I've always been loyal to Sonic, and always will...But..." The echidna while they both looked back at him. "...Ken, sorry."

"I hope you forgive us for it."

He couldn't believe it. Not only did he lose his only chance to save Katie, EX, and the light like his parents wanted him to, but not he lost two of his closest friends. He felt like he lost everything now. His chances, most of his friends despite having both the twilight cat and kangaroo, and his home. He's never felt more alone in his entire life before.

After all that happened, the Magenta haired animal got worried. "Daddy? Are you ok?"

"He's hurt...Hurt like I've never seen him before." Kathy said until the Dark Caramel hedgehog looked up to see the Orange haired boy getting up slowly, using his sword as support. They all noticed it and they all ran over to him. "A-Are you ok?"

"Yeah...Nothing I can't handle...I've dealt with much worse." He said. "So...Why are you guys here?"

The former-keyblade wielder sighed. "We...Were here to save someone...But looks like that changed..."

"So...You're just going to give up just like that?" He asked. "...Then you're really not as strong as you think you are..."

"But, I can't fight without the keyblade through!"

"Yeah, that's like saying I can't fight without a Zanpakuto or Zangestsu...It's like what Chad said...It's not the weapon that makes you...But it's the strength of your friends and heart." He held his hand to his chest. "Even if I'm alone...They're with me."

Lilly looked at Ken now. "It's like you said before Daddy! Your power comes from us!"

She was right. He did say that, and he wasn't going to go back on it on someone who looks up to him as a father figure. As long as he had people like the two that stood there beside him, he wouldn't fail.

"You were also there for me when I was like you back in HedgeHaven...And now it's my turn." His cat friend said with a smile, making him look at them with a smile and picked up the wooden sword.

"You're right...You all are." He said. "...I came here to save people I care for, and just because I don't have the keyblade doesn't mean I should just give up...As long as I have Kathy and Lilly with me, I'm unstoppable." He looks at the boy now. "...Thanks for making me realize that."

The teenager just smirked and turned to him. "Yeah...And since we have a common goal, we're working together." He picked up his sword in preparation. "My name's Ichigo; Ichigo Kurosaki. Soul Reaper"

"And I'm Ken...Together, we're unstoppable."

They shook each other hands, forming a partnership to finally stop Black Doom and save both of their friends. They all looked up to the sinister castle and jumped up multiple platforms to get to the main one, and walked over to an edge that held what remains of what appeared to be a pair of stairs. But when they did, a Golden platform appeared near them. Seeing as there was no other way to go, they got on and taken toward the large castle.

They all waited patiently for the platform to get up to where they were soon to enter, but the hedgehog closed his eyes while waiting, knowing Dark Ken was soon to talk.

**"So, you're not even going to bother giving up and dying like a dog?! What is this?!" **

_He opened his eyes to see he's back into the dark world that he was taken to before, seeing his Heartless other. "Because I have people I want to protect...More than ever now."_

_**"Including those guys who DITCHED you?!" **_

_"Even them."_

**_"You really are hopeless and an idiot! Why even bother helping people who left you the moment you lost that blade of yours?! You might as well just ditch them, even that girl since she's now a lost cause for you now!"_**

_This snapped him and, finally having enough, grabbed his double by the neck, which surprised the both of them. "...What do you even know about me? All you know about me is who are care for and just my memories! But there's one thing you'll never understand; My heart! Considering you're a Heartless, that's pretty understandable!" He let go of him, giving Dark Ken time to breathe. Never before has someone with light go against his own darkness. "...You say you're the real me...But there's one thing that you don't have that makes you the faker...My heart. Even if you take over my body, I won't die, and I'll get it back one way or another and return. My parents believed that the tale of light and darkness that the fragment of light that stays in me will always prevail...And I believe that too." _

_His other just stared in shock and anger. **"Why...Why do you even think of such things? Such PITIFUL things?!"**_

_"Because unlike you...I have friends. Friends who will always be there for me...And they can be your friends too." He said back, then backed away. "...Think about it, will you?" _He opened his eyes upon the platform stopping, making him get off along with everyone else, seeing they were now in a balcony that also lead to a large Bronze door. "You think that place will lead us to where EX went?"

"I dunno, but only one way to find out!" Ichigo said before he started running to the large door, but he was stopped by two new brands of Heartless; One looked much like a wizard, a Heartless symbol on the chest, and held a wand, which the hedgehog dubbed, and I kid you not; Wizards. The other one looked more natural since looked more like a ball with jagged teeth, and had three tentacles around its body. Not sure on what to call it, he named it 'Darkball'. The very sight of them angered the Soul Reaper. "Get out of my way!"

He swung his sword toward the Wizard first, but he flashed away to avoid the attack. They wondered on where it went but decided to focus on the round Heartless instead. Ken ran and swung his wooden sword toward it, but instead of hitting it, it just passed through it entirely. He completely forgot about that. "AH! HOW COULD I FORGET?!" The one he just tried to attack headbutted him away, making him roll over and start thinking of something else he could try, then remembered the spells he learned from before. "The spells! I completely forgot about it! Thank you Tails!"

He swung his wooden weapon toward the Heartless that just attacked him and shot what could be his most powerful Thunder spell that he could master, and it showed since the attack he pulled off instantly destroyed it. The very sight of his progress since the beginning made him smile, but he was also unaware of the Wizard reappearing behind him and attacked him through a Thunder spell of its own, sending him away from it and tried shooting out as many of his Blizzard spells as he could, but instead of harming it, the elemental attacks did nothing.

Knowing he couldn't do anything, both Lilly and Kathy quickly ran over to the Wizardly Heartless to deal with it, and while running, they had to dodge the lightning attacks as fast as they could, and they were able to dodge every single attack. Using the revealing space it now had to its advantage, the cat of purest twilight shot out her orb of twilight energy into it to knock it down and shot her Black flames, giving the small kangaroo enough time to deliver the finishing blow onto it, ending it.

She started jumping on her tail and landed while laughing. "More please!"

"No! No more please!" The hedgehog said, but Lilly got what she wanted in the end, given a new brand of Heartless; It was a buff and wore Purple and Blue armor, but also held a shield that has a dog-like head on it with three Yellow eyes. Seeing the shield alone, he named it 'Defender'. Though the very sight of it made him groan. "DANG IT LILLY!"

"I've got this..." The soul reaper said while his sword glowed Black with a Red outline, then prepared to swing it. "Getsuga...TENSHO!" He swung his Black katana-like sword toward the new being of darkness now, creating a wave of the very same power that glowed from his sword. The Defender tried its hardest to protect itself from the attack, but the shield then broke, leaving it defenseless to be obliterated with the attack. Upon it disappearing, they all just stared at it in shock.

"...OK, WHOA NOW. TIME OUT." The former-keyblade master said. "How did you even DO that?!"

"It's a part of my Zanpakuto; Zangetsu. Only I can use it since he's my spirit in my sword." Ichigo explained.

They were surprised by the answer. A spirit within a sword? That sounded way too cool for them. They decided to drop the topic at hand and enter through the large Bronze door. "So, how do you think we can get in? There's no way TO open in as far as I'm aware of." Ken asked now.

Knowing that was true, the Soul Reaper had an idea, but he wasn't going to like it. "Stand back. This might get a little crazy." Not wanting to argue, they stepped back while he put his left hand over his right eye, and formed the Black energy with Red outlines over it, and moved it away like he was ripping something, creating a mask. The mask was White and looked much like a skull, and two Red verticle lines going downward through the eyes of the mask and jagged teeth. They wondered on what this power was and if this was the same person they met a while back, but their thoughts of that stopped when he rose his sword filled with the same energy, but not more heavier and stronger. **"Gestuga...TENSHO!" **His voice sounded more warped when he said it, and swung the sword to create the crescent wave of power, destroying and obliterating the gate.

They stared in awe of what he just did, then the teenager sighed and did the same hand motion to rid of the mask. "Whoa..." The hedgehog said.

"That...Was...AWESOME!" Lilly said. "Do it again!"

He looked at her and smiled. "Sorry, but I can only do that in short bursts."

"Ichigo, you just surprise me around every corner." The Hazel one said. "Now, let's move!" He ran with everyone else following.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at the top of the castle, Black Doom floated through what appeared to be a church-like room on the Blood-Red carpet and looked at a part of the area around him. There were three glass containers on one side of the room. Three of them held Zelda, Princess Peach, and Juliet, while on the other side held the faun, the girl with Orange hair; Orihime, and the elf-like girl. Then his attention was put onto one other person in the room; Katie in a Purple container made of darkness. He laughed lowly and walked up one of the two sets of stairs that lead to a large Gold machine resembling a heart at the end of the hall.<p>

Once he got near it, he turned to the six cases. "Purest of hearts, listen to my call! I call the powers of you all to give me what I desire! Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom, Zelda of Hyrule, Juliet of HedgeHaven, Elora of Avalar, Keria of Haven City, and Orihime of Soul Society! Reveal the keyhole and release your emeralds!" Upon saying that, all of their chests started to glow and an object that resembled an emerald came out in the very same order of the princesses; Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, White, and Purple. With their reveal, they floated toward the large heart, making him laugh.


	27. The Hollow Castle - Part II

_**Chapter XXVII: The Hollow Castle - Part II**_

After taking care of the Bronze door with the thanks of Ichigo's ability, Gestuga Tensho, the four of them were able to continue the pursuit for EX. When entering, they all saw they were in a two floor room that holds a Golden chandelier and a fountain mouth that shot out...Water into a water pool.

They all looked around to see nobody was here. "Nobody's around. I wonder if EX if further ahead." Ken said.

"Maybe...But those things could be anywhere." Ichigo said while preparing his Black katana; Zangetsu. "Get ready for anything." They nodded to that advice, because since you're in the main place the villian is at, you should always expect anything.

"I-Ichigo?" A voice asked, catching their attention, but caught the Soul Reapers the most, making them look to see a Orange haired girl in the door they came from; Orihime.

"O-Orihime!" He said as he quickly ran to her, but when he came close, it turned out that the girl was only a fake of the real one, turning into a Shadow Heartless. When he saw that, his anger reached to no limit, and suddenly exploded into the Black energy covered in Red highlights. The energy faded away and showed he turned into something else entirely; His robes were now destroyed except for the arm, ripped up Black pants, and now his Orange hair now long and flowing, but now had newer features; Red-fur like pieces around his neck, wrists, and ankles, Black markings on his chest that led to a hole where his heart it, and his mask, the Hollow mask, now having Black markings instead of Red, and two horns on the side while his skin was fully White. **"I...WILL... KILL YOU!" **He screamed in a warped voice and quickly rushed to the Shadow to slay it.

However, when he did that, the door behind him closed. "Ichigo!" The hedgehog yelled.

"Quit while you can." A voice said, making them look now to see that it was EX in front of them, holding the keyblade, with Tails and Knuckles on their side. When the former wielder looked at them, they just looked away so they didn't have to look back. "...I thought you'd die after getting this far to be honest. But...This is as far as you go now...Leave Hollow Bastion. Forget about all you just did and go back to where you came from before this."

"...No way EX. Not without Katie!"

"...You really don't understand what I'm saying, do you?" The Crimson one asked while darkness formed around him, creating the Heartless armor. "Without the keyblade...There's not much you can do. If you keep going, then the darkness and the Heartless will destroy you."

The Hazel hedgehog shook his head. "No, you're wrong EX. You can destroy my body...But in no way will you destroy my heart." He holds both Kathy and Lilly's hands. "Even if I am alone, my heart will stay with my friends. It'll never give out on the darkness!"

"Really now? Well then...Let's try that out then!" EX yelled while he formed Black energy in his hand and then shoots it toward his former friend, to which he only just stood still and grasped his friends hands. If this was how was going to die, then they were all going to together. However, the attack was suddenly stopped. "What are you two idiots doing?!"

He looked to see the source of whom stopped it; Knuckles and Tails. "Sorry, but Ken's not going anywhere!" The Red echidna said.

"So...You betray your king for a nobody like him?"

The Yellow fox shook his head. "Of course not! I would never betray Sonic! Neither me or Knuckles ever would!"

"But we're not going to betray Ken either!" The guardian said. "Not only is he a member of our group after all we've been through together..."

"But he's also..."

"Our best friend." They both said together.

The very sound of that actually hit him in his heart, not in a bad way, but in good way, happiness. He started crying slightly but pushed the tears aside. "Thank you guys...Tails...Knuckles...Kathy...Lilly..."

EX just scoffed. He was better off without the Knothole knights anyway. "So you have five people with you...It's nothing. But how can you fight me without a weapon now, Ken?"

"Because...It took me a while to realize it...But now I know I don't need something like the keyblade! I have something better, and not just a wooden sword; My heart!"

By the very sound of that, he couldn't help but just laugh. "Your heart? Please...Are you actually believing in what that guy Ichigo's been telling you? And if it's true, then what can something that weak even do for you?"

"Yeah...You're right, it's weak alright...But it's not alone." Ken explained. "After all my adventures...Each and every world I entered made it grow with each new experience with all the friends I made. Like...Crash, Jun, Rayman, Link, Sackboy, Scythe and his friends, Mario, and Ratchet...Even the ones with me now. Everyone has made a home in my heart, just like with me. We've both become a part of each other, and if they think about me every now and again...I know that they won't forget about me, and I won't forget about them...And then, our hearts will be one!" The others couldn't help but smile upon him, seeing how much he's grown until now. He took out his wooden sword and threw it away. "So you can go ahead and beat me up with the keyblade for all I care! I don't need it or a weapon! My friends are my power!" He was hoping his dark self heard all he said. _"...Did you hear that, Dark?" _For the first time since their fusion, he just stayed silent.

"...What a good speech...Though words won't help you here!" The Mobian filled with darkness said while taking out the keyblade, but it suddenly disappeared into a flash of light for him, shocking him. "W-What?!" He then looked to see it was now in the Brown hedgehog's hands, regaining the title as keyblade master as of now, and the Kingdom Key keychain suddenly fell off to crate a new form for the weapon and a new keychain via from a flash.

The weapon's flash faded away to reveal a new form; The handle was now Brown, a Grey blade, and on the tip had parts of an arrow, in which made the wielders symbol on top of his quill, and a keychain in which resembled to be a Light Blue emerald. Upon seeing it, he dubbed it something he made through his heart alone; Symbol of Hope. "Now...Let's start now! Round two!"

"...Fine, I don't need the keyblade to beat you...I'll defeat you without it!" EX yelled while summoning his soul eater, ready to take the five down.

**_Enemy: EX the Hedgehog_**

He yelled and rushed to them with his bat-wink weapon prepared and quickly did a slash toward them, only to which they all got out of the way quickly to dodge it, but it wasn't the four he was after; He was after the one who 'stole' the keyblade from him. He took this time of seperation to his advantage and dashed toward him to do a slash onto his body, only for it to be stopped by the Brown keyblade master's new keyblade. Since it was now in his hands, he wondered on what its keychain ability did and what he had to do to activate it since he couldn't activate it manually. However, when he thought of it, the Crimson Mobian took advantage of him thinking and used his weapon to knock him backwards.

"Come on! You just got the keyblade back! Surely you could do better than this!" The hedgehog of darkness said, then noticed of Lilly rushing to him with her small katana in hand and doing spins. Upon each and every attack the small kangaroo swung toward him, but he just dodged every single on of them due to his newest power enhancing him; Dark Mode. While he dodged them, he remembered the small one. "I remember you now! You're that girl Drek caught in Veldin. I see he replaced you for either Nero or Deimos!"

"Daddy never replaced anybody!"

"Oh, and he's a dad to you now? How can you even love someone who always messed around and showed off the weapon I STOLE."

"He did all he did for you!" Kathy yelled while she was preparing her powers of purest twilight. "Please...Don't make me do this." EX quickly clashed with the small ones sword and was able to push it away and was ready to slash her, making the cat finally have no choice and shoot of an orb of Grey energy at her former friend. He saw this and quickly destroyed it with his soul eater to defend himself, then looked at her.

He had a sad look when doing it. "...So, you're with him, huh? Alright then...Guess I have to deal with you then?" When Lilly was about to grab her sword again, he shot out a wave of darkness to send her away from it so she wouldn't interfere, and rushed toward his old cat friend, but was stopped by Ken's keyblade getting in the way.

"You're not touching her...I refuse for you to!" He yelled and started blocking every single clash between his weapon so he couldn't get through, but it all stopped when he was shot by an orb of darkness from EX. Doing this sent him away into the wall, and used this time to walk over to him with his weapon ready.

"...What was it you said about your friends being your power? It seems like it's not working too well." He said. "...It's about time I end this." While walking, a shield cam whirling toward him, only for him to instantly block it by slashing upward to send it up, but it landed into the hands of Knuckles and he charged toward the Red hedgehog, only to be blocked. "...You will regret not following your precious Kings orders!" While he held it, he was then being shot with Thunder created by Tails, which took him by surprise while the wielder slowly got up and looked at what they were doing.

"They're...Fighting for me..I can't let Black Doom get away with this!" He said to himself until his weapon started glowing Brown and created a same colored aura around him, activating his Symbol of Hope keyblade's ability. Upon seeing it, it surprised the hedgehog of darkness. "You're finished EX!"

Upon using his newest power, he quickly ran to him in the fastest speed he's ever been in and quickly kicked him up into the air to he could quickly finish him off by revving up into a ball and charged at him while spinning. Thankfully EX was able to recover and clash with the keyblade, creating a wave of Brown and Purple energy. Their clash caused spark to come out as they started creating a large tension until the sudden happened; His soul eater suddenly snapped into two, giving the keyblade master the opportunity for the weapon to hit him in the chest, shattering his Heartless armor and sent him into the fountain head, destroying it.

_**EX the Hedgehog: Defeated**_

He slouched against the fountain and slowly got up weakly, then saw his weapon split into two halves, which shocked him and looked back at his former friend. "This...Isn't over Ken!"

He ran away toward the exit on the other side of the room, leaving them to relax and recover. Ken sighed in relief while his aura faded away and helping Lilly up, understanding what its ability is; Both his strength and speed would increase in exchange for all of his power used for magic, though to him, it's a good price to pay. Though that no longer mattered now, he won. "We did it...We won."

The Knothole knights smiled, then felt bad about what they did. "Hey...I'm sorry we left you like that. It was horrible of us...Some friends we are." The echidna said.

"Yeah...I can't see how Cream even loves me for doing that..." Tails said.

Ken just shook his head. "Hey, that doesn't matter now. All that DOES matter is we're all together again." They all heard the door that closed open, revealing to be Ichigo. "Hey, you're back."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Guess I just lost my temper..." He said while rubbing the back of his head. "So, looks like your heart won this battle." They nodded. "I'm not surprised...With that thing, you'll never lose."

He nodded. "Yeah, but it's not over...Far from it. We still need to get to Black Doom and EX so we can stop them. I get the feeling what they're planning isn't good."

"But my question is what it is though."

"Well we're not going to know while we're standing here!" Lilly said. "Let's follow those wankers and get to them!"

That was the best plan everyone's heard as of today, and followed to where EX fled, hoping it would lead to Black Doom. While they ran, they made their way through multiple heartless and climbed up through every floor of the large castle of Hollow Bastion just to get to their destination.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in the gathering of where all the villains once gathered, EX ran as fast as he could while holding where his heart is. He wondered on how everything that happened in the room before happened. How did it? "W-Why?" He asks. "Why did it happened?! It was right in my hands! How...How could I lose it?!"<p>

"Because...In order to wield the keyblade...Your heart must be true." A voice said, which made him stop to look behind him to see who it was; The very same Brown cloaked man from before. On Destiny Islands.

"Then...You're saying my heart's nowhere near as strong as his?"

"For that very moment in time...Yes. However...There is a stronger power...A power stronger than the keyblade itself...A power deep inside your heart...I could feel it within you, and you showed no fear when entering the door to darkness... I believe you have what it takes to wield it."

"Then...What do I need to do?"

"Simple; Plunge your heart open into the darkness...And let yourself become one with it..." The man said until the hedgehog glowed Green, then it turned into Black as the one who gave him advice inched closer toward him and entered his body by going through it.

Upon this entry, the hedgehog of darkness closed his eyes so he could feel its power. This was it. This was the strongest of powers anybody would grasp ahold of, and this was what was needed to redeem himself for his loss. Then, at that very moment, his eyes opened to reveal his Green eyes were now Red, and his pupils were Black.

* * *

><p>Back with Black Doom, whom was still within the room that contained the six princesses of heart, they all stayed in the same places they were before except for Katie, whom was lying on the floor near the giant heart. The Alien of darkness stared at the large heart, patiently waiting until he saw EX, or so he thought it was him. He was back into his Heartless armor while also being covered in a faint Black aura.<p>

He walked next to the being of darkness and stared at the heart with him. **"...So, the path has emerged at long last." **He said while another was joined in with him. There wasn't anyone else with him, but it sounded like two were talking at the same time.

"Indeed...The keyhole to the darkness."

**"Though remember...Unlock it, and the heartless will overcome this world." **

"You have forgotten whom you are speaking to. The darkness holds no shackles over my heart. And I will manipulate it to do my own bidding and control all worlds."

'EX' just chuckled. **"Do you truly believe of such things? Confident, I see." **He summoned darkness within his hand and formed it into something that surprised the dark monster; A keyblade. But it was far different than its good version; It was Black and had a Red rim around it, and the end held a piece that resembled a broken heart. **"...Impressed?"**

"Indeed..." He said, then looked at the heart again to expect something, but it never came. "I do not understand...The princesses are all here. But why does it not work?" He looked over to Katie's lifeless body. "It must be the girl...She is holding our plans back."

The hedgehog looked too, but he held no worry for her like he did before. **"It's because her heart is lost...Without it, she will not only never release her power, but she cannot open the final keyhole." **

Black Doom suddenly felt something in the distance, the very same he remembered from before; Reiatsu. "It appears the boy has joined the keyblade master, and so does the kings knights." He gripped his fists. "...I shall dispose of them myself. Guard the princesses of heart until my return." He flashes away in a Green light, leaving the hedgehog of darkness to watch over the Cherry-Red Mobian with a smirk while his Black aura grew slightly bigger.


	28. The Hollow Castle - Part III

_**Chapter XXVIII: The Hollow Castle - Part III**_

Even after fighting off EX in the entrence hall, Ken and the others kept fighting through ever last round of Heartless they encountered throughout their journey in the castle. They fought through them all from room to room, area to area, and beaten down every one of them that got in their way.

The keyblade wielder launched down onto the very last defender thats shield was taken down with the thanks of Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho technique, and put the blade part of it on his shoulder. "Sheesh, how much farther is it until we get there?! We've just been seeing nothing but Heartless, those dang elevators, and then ever more Heartless!"

At that point, the Soul Reaper closed his eyes in concentration, then opened it. "I can feel it...Orihime's Reiatsu. It's faint, but it's there and near."

"Then that means we're close, right?" Tails asked, given a nod. "Then let's hurry! We can't waste anymore time!"

They kept running as fast as they possibly could until they was what was in front of them; A large Brown door. Together, they all pushed it open, seeing the large area in which the villians gathered. It looked much like the inside of a cathedral hall, which was also a dead end for them.

"Did...Did we go the wrong way?" Lilly asked, but her question was answered by a large burst of darkness overcoming the area from the very middle of the hall, with everyone grabbing onto what they could and stood their ground. Once clearing up, it revealed to be the very villain behind it all; Black Doom. "Is that him? Eeeew..."

The very sight of him made the teenager growl. "So...You're the one who took Orihime..." He pointed his Black blade at him. "Let her go, or else I'll show you..."

"Surely I would...However, you six are too late." The leader of the Heartless said. "Soon, EX shall unlock the final keyhole, and every world and life form will be plunged into the darkness...No matter what you try, it shall not be stopped."

"Really? Is that right?" The hedgehog asked, summoning his Symbol of Hope keyblade. "Then we'll stop it! After all we've been through together, there's NO way we're going to let that happen!"

"...I see...So you believe you can defeat me, the former leader of the Black Arms and the master of evil? Very well then...Your fate shall be sealed!" Black Doom said while he glowed Dark Red, preparing himself.

**_Enemy: Black Doom_**

At that very instant, he pulled his arm back while it glowed a sinister Purple. "Take this!" He threw it toward them, creating the same colored portals as it started to shoot out meteors toward the six, getting them prepared.

Upon seeing it, Ichigo prepared his sword while it glowed Black. "Getsuga Tensho!" He swung the sword to create the wave of energy toward him, destroying a good part of the meteors but it still proceeded to hit them. Together, both Tails and Kathy started shooting off the best of their attacks, the fox using his magic, and the cat of twilight using her flames of darkness and orbs of twilight to counter them. But when they destroyed the meteors, more of them came. "Oh come on!"

"This is getting us nowhere!" The sunshine fox said. "If we can't get near him, then what else can we do?!"

The hedgehog wanted to used the ability of his Triblade keyblade to slow down time, but he didn't have enough power to do it. But he had enough to do one other thing at least twice. "It's about time I made use of him!" He rose his keyblade in the air. "Clank! I need a bit of help here!" He slammed it into the ground, creating Grey sparkles forming into a orb until it exploded, summoning the small robot. "Hey Clank!"

"Greetings Mr. Hedgehog. How can I help?" He asks.

"If you could be a pal and help over to that alien guy, that'll help greatly! If I don't get near and defeat him, the worlds are destroyed!"

"So he's the leader of it all?"

"That's right!"

The robot nodded in agreement, jumped onto the keyblade master's back, and created what appeared to be small jet plane arms instead of his regular ones. Upon doing that, he shot the Brown Mobian upward, which caught him by surprise and the former-Black Arms leader's attention. When he noticed, he formed a crescent-shaped wave under him. "Prepare yourself; Swift Strike!" He tossed it through his sheer force toward the wielder of the legendary weapon, but he was able to dodge it quickly with the help of his summoned friend.

Once he did, he was quickly dashed toward Black Doom while changing his keychain from the Symbol of Hope to his Jibbering Jabberwolky so that he would have an attack at full power. He kept dodging the crescent waves as best as he could until he got near him and did a slow but powerful slash upon him, however, the attack on who it was wasn't who he thought it was. Do not get confused, it WAS Black Doom, but it was an afterimage of him that was left to dodge the attack. This took the one who slashed him by surprise and unknown to him, the real one reappeared behind him.

"Daddy! Behind you!" Lilly yelled while she started jumping on her tail and leaped up to him before the being of darkness even hurt the one she thought of as a father. Upon getting near, she grabbed her katana and slashed him on the back, making him roar loudly.

He growled after getting hurt. "You...Little brat!" He said in anger until he grabbed her by the throat. "You will pay dearly for this!" He was suddenly interrupted by getting hit in one of his eyes by a shield, Knuckles' shield, and was quickly followed up a barrage of mixed flames, both normal and dark. All of these attacks led him to quickly drop the kangaroo from his gripping hands while the Orange haired teenager jumped up with his sword prepared with the Black energy and swung it to send him downward onto the ground.

He tried getting up but was suddenly sent away into a wall after Ken ran up while changing his keychain to the Kingdom Key and quickly slashed him with it. The alien then tried getting up, but was now weakened by the attack. "How...How could I lose...To a brat that looks so much like Hamon?"

"Because..." The son of Hamon said with a smirk. "...I'm his son! The son of Hamon and Jasmine; Two of the legendary keyblade masters! There's no WAY I'd lose to someone like you!"

This shocked him, along with surprising everyone else except Ichigo since had no idea of what he meant. "You are...How can you not hold his..." Instead of finishing, he creates a dark portal behind him and entered through.

"His what- Hey, get back here!" He said back while he was about to run after, but he saw the small robot companion on his back start fading away. "You're off?"

"I'm afraid so. Please call me whenever you need assistance."

"Sure thing little guy. Thanks for the help."

He faded away back into the keyblade, and ran after where the alien went toward with everyone not to far behind.

* * *

><p>Through another portal that was within a large part of the castle, covered in Purple and Red vines, cam the wounded ruler of darkness, holding the wound in which the keyblade hurt him. But around the same time, someone came through the same portal with a devilish smirk; The so called 'EX'.<p>

He looked at where he stood wounded. **"...Do you need some help?" **

"You...Dare mock me?"

**"No, of course not...But I believe you forgot to realize that while you sat here in this very world, the wielder of the keyblade grew stronger and stronger...You controlled everything for the longest time...And now it's time to reclaim what's rightfully mine."**

At the very same time, through the same portal believe it or not, Ken and the other came through to see them. "EX!"

**"Ken...It's good to see you again, but you see...Things are now much different."**

"Huh? What do you mean?"

His answer was given when the hedgehog of darkness showed them his weapon; The Dark Keyblade. "W-What a second...Is that..." Kathy was about to ask.

**"Yes, Kathy...A keyblade. However, unlike Ken's...Mine has the power to unlock people's hearts...Allow me to demonstrate." **'EX' said until he did something that shocked everyone, even Black Doom himself; He quickly turned and stabbed his weapon into the chest of the former leader of the Black Arms. **"Now, Black Doom...Open your heart and surrender it into the darkness...Become darkness itself!" **

He yanked the weapon out of his chest and disappeared, leaving the stabbed Black Doom to stare at where he was stabbed and started to glow a sinister Green aura, laughing darkly. "Yes...This is it! This power...Darkness...TRUE DARKNESS!" He bursted into the same colored aura, transforming him into something entirely different; He now looked much like a double-sided gargoyle connected to the ground, transforming into his newest form; Devil Doom. **"Prepare to face your fate weaklings, for this is where your life ends!"**

"Like I'm going to die here!" Ichigo said while preparing his Zanpakuto, Zangetsu, and quickly rushed toward it alongside the keyblade master. They both leaped toward him until they were both shot by a fireball, sending them backwards but recovered quickly to have his sword prepared to do his signature move while doing a hand motion around his face to form his normal hollow mask. **"Getsuga Tensho!" **He swung the energy wave, now bigger and stronger, at the head of the demonic version of Black Doom, making him yell in pain before he rid of the mask.

Upon getting hit, the only eye from the head came out, which was held by a octopus-like being, and go to the other side. "The eye! That's his weak spot!" Tails said. "Guys! Let's split up! Ken, me, and Kathy join together while the others deal with the other side!"

"You read my mind buddy! Let's do it!" The keyblade master said with a smirk. The three came together and paired up while the soul reaper, Knuckles, and Lilly paired up together. The three that could shoot out magical properties stayed together and started shooting out their own version of fire since it's what they all had in common, Ken not so much since he had to save up enough energy to use a summon for an emergency. But they all had to move quickly due to the fact it was now shooting meteors out of the dark portals he made before. They did as best as they could to attack the eyes through their fire-based attacks but they couldn't get a clear shot.

"Nothing's working! Does anybody have an idea?" The cat asked.

The hedgehog nodded. "Yeah, I do in case I needed it. But Tails, I'm going to need some of your energy for it!"

"What for?!" He asked.

"Trust me!"

The Knothole mage nodded and put his hand on his shoulder to give him the energy needed, making the wielder smile. "Thanks Tails!" He then aims the weapon in the air. "Navi! I need you!" The were Blue sparkles forming into a orb long before it explodes, creating the fairy.

"Hey Ken! Long time no see! What is it?"

"I need your help to help me get a good aim on this guy! If me and Kathy could get a good aim on his eye, he'll be history!"

"Really? This guy?" She asks while looking at Devil Doom. "Sheesh, that's a face only a mother could love. Don't worry, I've got you covered!" She flew off and started wondering around the eye on the second head. "Hey! Come on and notice me!"

**"Get away from my own eye you small insect!" **He yelled while swinging his arms, making the small fairy move quickly but not enough to lose the aim of where the Dark Caramel had on the eye. Using the most of his magic, he quickly shot his most powerful Fire spell at the eye, not only hurting it, but also burned it rather badly. **"My sight! You little RAT!" **The eye started moving back to the first head, but it was suddenly kocked down by Ichigo suddenly hitting it downward with his a Getsuga Tensho after leaping.

"Guys! Now!" He yelled. At the same time, Knuckles held it down long enough for Lilly to leap toward it and stab through the eye, destroying and making it fade away into darkness.

By doing this, she giggled uncontrollably. "That was so cool!"

**"You fools! I will not...Be defeated this easily! I will soon come back from the darkness!" **

"You just keep telling yourself that you blind monster!" The hedgehog said while taking a leap toward the now blind monster, and quickly swung it with his Kingdom Key. Upon doing this very action, Devil Doom yelled loudly in pain while burning away into Green flames, along with the Black and Red vines, signifying the mighty Black Dooms possible death.

_**Black Doom/Devil Doom: Defeated**_

Upon seeing his defeat, they sighed in relief, knowing that the biggest problem was now defeated for good.

_**"It appears Black Doom is gone...I can't sense him anywhere...He's long gone." **_Dark Ken said.

_"Oh, hey Dark. Where have you been this entire time?"_

**_"Just sleeping in here since I've got nothing better left to do...And thought a lot and decided to sleep on it."_**

_"Oh really? Want to inform me on it?"_

**_"It's something that doesn't concern you. But whatever...I'm going back to sleep."_**

**"...How ironic it is..." **A voice said, to which they all looked to see it was 'EX'. **"The puppeteer was really the puppet."**

"Huh? What do you mean?"Lilly asked.

**"I mean the Heartless were really controlling him instead of him controlling them the whole time...He failed to notice the darkness slipping into his heart to eat all that remained...What a fitting end for a fool like him." **

Ken just shook his head. "What happened to you EX? You were never like this..."

**"...If you wish to understand...Meet me in the Grand Hall...For there we shall finish it." **The hedgehog of darkness said until he formed a portal behind him to escape.

He just stared at where his former friend went. Was he really the same person he knew from before? His thoughts were interrupted by seeing two things on the floor; A summoning gem, like the one for Spyro, and a cluster of papers. He picked up the small jewel to put it in his pocket and looks at the papers to look through them. "They're...Reports."

"Reports?" Tails asks. "Could they be the one from Rian that Tikal talked about?"

The keyblade master starts reading it outloud to them, saying all that was said in it; All about the creation of the Heartless, the experiments done to understand them and hearts, even meeting the king, whom the Knothole knights knew was Sonic. They knew of who this Rian person was. "So, he's the possible reasons the Heartless exist?"

"Sounds like it." Knuckles said. "Shouldn't we catch up to your friend? He says he's waiting."

He forgot all about that. He needed to settle something with him. He put the reports up and ran through the portal to catch up with him, and end things once and for all.


	29. The Hollow Castle - Part IV

_**Chapter XXIX: The Hollow Castle - Part IV**_

It was at least a minute or two after the six of them defeated Black Doom for good, and as of now, they were heading to the Grand Hall to which this so called 'EX' told them to meet. Ken wished to finally put an end to all that was happening in Hollow Bastion as of now, and save Katie. They all entered back into the gather place of the villains just before a wall glowed one the wall left to them, seeing it open.

Upon its appearance, this made them curious. "Could this lead to where that guy went?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know...But we won't know unless we go!" The keyblade wielder said just before he ran inside, with the others following. Upon getting through it, they opened the door and entered into the very area that held the seven princess of heart and the large Gold heart filled with the opening to darkness. They were surprised upon seeing this. Was this really what Black Doom was planning the whole time? It must have been since the hedgehog saw two of them. "Guys, look! It's Zelda and Peach!"

Both the Knothole knights looked in shock. "H-He's right!" Tails said.

Navi, still being there even after the summon, looked at the Hyrule princess. "Zelda! It's me! Navi!" She started sparkling away now. "No! Don't make me leave now! Z-Zeld-" She disappeared back in the keyblade before she could say another word.

It was then Kathy looked around now too, seeing Juliet in her crystal case. "J-Juliet?"

This caught the Brown hedgehog's attention now. "She's a princess?! You've got to be kidding me!"

"Orihime! Orihime!" The soul reaper yelled while pounding on one of the cases that held the Orange haired girl. "Orihime! Please talk to me!"

At the same time he pounded on it, Lilly saw the faun. "Hey! It's a goat-like girl!"

"Huh? A Goat?" The keyblade master asked and walked over to her. "A faun...Is she a princess too?" All of a sudden, Purple and Orange flames came out of the Kingdom Key, creating Spyro. How was he able to be summoned without him calling upon him?

"Huh? Elora?" He asked. "Elora! Don't worry, I'm here!" He started bashing into the crystal case with all of his might, hoping to at least crack it, but it did nothing for the small dragon.

It was now the Dark Brown Mobian's turn to look around and saw that on the platform that was led by stairs near the large heart was Katie. His heart, his real one, pumped quickly out of worry and quickly ran up. "Huh? Daddy?" The kangaroo asked. "Daddy! Wait!"

She ran after him, catching both of the knights attention. "Huh? Lilly! Wait!" Knuckles yelled while running after her, which the fox followed along with the cat of twilight after she rid of her stare toward the Wolf-Dragon. They followed him as fast as they could, and just after him, the fox and kangaroo made it to the platform, there was a invisible force that pushed back both him and the cat. "Huh?! What happened?!"

"Knuckles! Kathy! Are you guys ok?" The fox mage asked.

"We're fine, but we can't get through now!" Kathy said. "We're stuck!"

The Hazel one looked back in worry, then put it all on the Cherry-Red hedgehog. "Katie!" He ran quickly to her, and crouched down to hold her in his arms so he could shake her gently. "Katie! Wake up! Please! Open your eyes!"

**"You can try as much as you wish...But there's no use." **A mixed voice said, making the last three look to see it was 'EX' on top of the mechanical heart with his dark weapon in hand. **"She has lost her heart, and can never wake up until she does."**

"What?" He asks while putting her down. "No...You're not EX. He would care about Katie! Who are you?!"

**"...In order to open the keyhole, she must regain her heart." **The hedgehog of darkness said right before he jumped down and slowly fell down to the ground. **"Until the princess regains it, it will stay closed."**

"The princess...Wait, Katie's a princess!?"

**"Yes...And without her, the keyhole cannot be completed! And once she awakens from her slumber, the darkness will spill out and control of all worlds!"**

Tails only shook his head and ran next to his Brown friend alongside the Magenta hair colored kangaroo. "No, you're not just crazy! You're nuts!"

"Whoever you are, let EX go and give him back his heart!" Ken yelled in anger.

**"Of course...But in exchange, you must return the princess's heart!" **'EX' yelled while holding his evil keyblade toward him.

All of a sudden, he felt a large pain in his heart and fell down to his knees. This scared her. "D-Daddy!"

"Ken, are yo ok!?" The mage asks.

"I-I don't know!" He said.

**"Don't you understand yet you rat? The princesses heart is responding! It's been with you all along...Katie's heart rests within you!"**

She was inside him? This entire time and he had no idea of such thing. He fully understood on what the third heart in him meant. One was his, Dark Ken's, and Katie's. "She's...Inside me?"

"Tell me...How do you know about all this?!" The sunshine colored Mobian asks in anger. "And who are you?!"

The Crimson hedgehog just chuckled darkly. **"I am the one who knows all that there is to know...And it is I...Rian; The Seeker of Darkness!" **The three of them were shocked to hear his name; He was the very one who created the Heartless and experimented them.

He started walking to them, to which the two others with the hedgehog prepared themselves. "If you want to get to him, you'll have to get through me!" Tails yelled right when he ran to him with his staff prepared, but was sent away over the edge of the platform.

"You're not touching my daddy!" Lilly yelled as she too took out her katana and ran over him him, only to be backhanded away to the other set of stairs through the barrier.

All that remained now was both him and the Brown hedgehog. **"I shall release you now princess! Complete the keyhole, open the door, and lead me into everlasting darkness!" **He was prepared to swing the keyblade into the keyblade master. This was it. This was how he was going to be taken out, and there was no way to save himself. He no longer had any energy to use magic or his Symbol of Hope or Triblade's abilities. His fate was now sealed, and nothing was there to help him. He was ready to give up until he heard voices.

_"...Please...Live for me, my son!"_

_"Set all I've done wrong right!"_

_"Ken!"_

He suddenly regained all of his strength and quickly summoned his Kingdom Key to stop the attack, which shocked Rian greatly. "For...Forget it! There's no way you're taking Katie's heart!" He quickly parried the evil weapon away from him, sending him backwards.

**"So, you still hold resistance." **He said amusingly. **"Very well...Come, so we may settle this." **He prepared his dark keyblade while the hero did the same, ready for anything as the last battle in Hollow Bastion has begun.

_**Enemy: Rian: The Seeker of Darkness.**_

They only stood, watching each other movements steadily until the Seeker of Darkness made the first move. He quickly leaped toward Ken with his weapon glowing in pure darkness, only for him to quickly block it but the blade clashed with its side, creating Black sparks to come out of it. Using it to his advantage, he pushed the blade out of the way and activated his recent weapons ability to sacrifice power for quick attacks. He attempted to slash the possessed hedgehog, but the attack ended up being dodged in the very end of things.

Using its speed, he tried to attack in all angle, but he kept blocking every single attack with the dark keyblade. **"...This is truest power the wielder of the Keyblade? You are simply pathetic. How could you acquire Jasmine's light?" **

"You know how it can be...Sometimes you get a few of your quirks from your mom! And her light is one of mine!" Ken said until his attacks were suddenly stopped by the evil blade parrying his good counterpart, and was nearly stabbed in the heart to release Katie's within him. However, pulled a fast one by stabbing his weapon into the ground and doing a sudden spin around it, which ended up kicking him in the face. "Don't you DARE try that again!" He grabbed it out of the ground and ran toward the possessed body as quickly as he could and prepared to swing it into him, but it was stopped by a counter once again.

**"You...You laid a single touch on me..." **He said while growling darkly. **"You shall pay tenfold!" **He flashed into a aura of darkness and leaped high into the air so he could quickly dive into the wielder with his blade facing downward, but he was able to dodge it. However, that dive was followed by him lifting up into the air again and did another dive towards him, only to be dodged. He kept avoiding the barrages of dives until the last one made him stab it into the ground and create a shooting barrage of darkness to come out of the ground in multiple directions, sending him back.

The Dark Caramel Mobian did he best to recover until he saw Rian dashing toward him with the blade of darkness near his heart and one of the waves created was coming toward Katie. Acting quickly, he swiped his Kingdom Key at him only for it to be blocked quickly by the evil counterpart. This was what he wanted since it will give him enough time to run toward the female hedgehog and grabbed her put of the way just before she was hit.

_"Sheesh, that was WAY to close!" _He thought.

_**"Watch out! He's attacking from behind!" **_

_"Huh?" _He looked behind him to see the Seeker of Darkness abotu to stab him from behind, but he quickly countered it with his keyblade. _"That was ever closer! Dark...Why did you tell me about him?"_

**_"Hey, If you so much as die, I die along with you! I'm not going to let some idiot like Rian get a hold of you!"_**

_"Dark...You said it like you had emotion...Are you really getting a-"_

**_"I don't even know myself you heartfilled rat! It's because of all this crap you talk about friends getting the best of me! J-Just shut up and fight while I look after what direction he's going!"_**

He wanted to argue against that, but at this point, he's going to need all the help he can get. However, their conversation distracted him and he ended up getting shot by a dark flame created by Rian, knocking him down onto the ground while Katie's body rolled around. He was trying to get up so he could get to her, but was suddenly cut off by a weapon getting in his way; The dark keyblade. He looked up to see him. **"...Your life ends here...There is nowhere else for you to go...You've lost your power of magic, and your strength...It is over."**

"No..It'll never be over..." He said lowly. He couldn't die now, not after getting this far and leaving the world in his control. He had to keep fighting. For Tails, Knuckles, Kathy, Lilly, EX, everyone else in the other worlds, and Katie. His thoughts for them made him slowly switch his keychain from the Kingdom Key to Symbol of Hope.

The dark hedgehog rose his weapon in preperation to swipe it. **"Give up." **

The very thought of his friends suddenly gave him a boost in power, covering himself in a Brown aura to activate its ability. "How about you give up on me..." He quickly got up and suddenly swung his weapon. "...GIVING UP!" Both of their weapons clashed furiously, creating waves of Brown and Black to come out of both sides.

**"What...Is this?" **He wondered until the sudden happened; The dark keyblade was suddenly shot into the air, making him vunderable to suddenly get slashed with the hedgehog's keyblade. Upon doing this, the blade stabbed into the ground, signifying his defeat.

**_Rian: The Seeker of Darkness: Defeated_**

The seeker of darkness fell to his knees while fading away into darkness, taking EX along with him. "Hey, wait! Give me back EX!" He received no response, which made him look down sadly until the others caught up to him after the barriers disappeared.

"Are you ok?!" Kathy asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine!"

The Ruby Red echidna suddenly remembered something. "Oh wait! The keyhole!"

"T-That's right!" He aimed his weapon toward the darkness within the large heart, hoping for a ray of light to come out, but it didn't.

"S-Should something be happening?" Lilly asked.

The fox shook his head. "The keyhole's not complete yet. That means it can't either be open or closed."

"Yeah...So long as Katie's asleep." Ken said, then started thinking. "If we can give her back her heart from inside me...She'll wake up. But...How?" His eyes then met the dark keyblade, wondering on something until he remembered what Rian said.

"However, unlike Ken's...Mine has the power to unlock people's hearts."

There was only one option he had to take now, and he made up his mind on it. He was willing to do whatever to save the girl he loved. He walked over to it, leaving the four wondering in question, but when he took it out of the ground, the knights knew what he was planning on doing. "Ken! Wait a minute! There's still time!" Tails said.

"Yeah! Just give us a second to think!" Knuckles yelled. He was never good at thinking, but he knew he had to as of right now.

"U-Um...What's going on?" The twilight cat asked, since she was partially slow, along with Lilly since she was still young.

"He's going to kill himself to save Katie!"

This shocked her. "W-What?!"

"W-What?!" The kangaroo asked before looking at her father figure. "D-Daddy? Please say that's not true!"

Regardless of their reactions, he looked at them with an unfitting face gesture; Smiling. "I'm sorry guys...But there's no other options...Now, hear me out." He looks at the fox. "Tails, you and me had a rocky start back in Jibberish Jungle, and we never would have gotten this far on your piloting. We're lucky to have you." Then at the echidna. "Knuckles...I'll be honest, you're not really all that smart...But despite that, you have one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen...You keep being that way." Then at Kathy. "Kathy...I would never forget you. You gave up your only chance to be in your home to help us...You're like my little sister, and will always be." He looks at the crying kangaroo now. "And Lilly...I know I'm not a real dad for you and I always had a problem with it...But I know you'll grow up to be a beautiful girl and the best adventurer and ballerina some day...I know it. "

She just cried harder. "Daddy, please stop!"

"Goodbye..."

He turned the dark keyblade towards him and stabbed himself in the heart, making the blade glow into a bright light until it scattered into six small orbs of light back into the six princesses of heart. Though one now remained, which engulfed from the hedgehog's chest, revealing to be a seventh heart and also a Light Blue emerald coming out of it. While the gem floated into the heart, completing the keyhole, the orb entered into Katie's body.

Upon it doing that, she started waking up. "H-Huh?"

"Daddy!" Lilly yelled while running to him. "Daddy!"

"W-Wha-" Katie asked until she rose up to see the him slowly falling down while covered in light, and surprisingly enough, still smiling. "K-Kenny!" She got up and ran to him so she could catch him, but he faded away into light particles into the sky before she could.

"N-No...Daddy! Come back Daddy!" She just yelled until she got onto her knees and cried.

* * *

><p>Within the darkness, it showed Ken's body floating down into the darkest and deepest abyss. "What's...Happening? Is this what...Death feels like?" He asked. "Then...I guess this is the end..."<p>

_**"No, far from it."**_

"H-Huh? Dark?"

**"Do you want to keep living? To see and stay with them again?"**

"Is...Is it even possible?"

**"It is...Our...Our friend Katie can...But in order to do that...I must take over your body."**

"To...Use it for yourself?"

**"No...Not anymore...I now know who truly is the real one and who is the faker. I am just the darkness in you...So long as there's light, it will just lose no matter what. Perhaps...I am the faker. I lied to myself being the real one...But if there's anyone that's real..It you. We maybe two parts of a whole, but you...You are the stronger one part of me I never will be, despite us both getting stronger as time passes...You must live for both of our sakes."**

"...Then...Let's do it."

* * *

><p>Back with everyone else, they were all still devastated with his sacrifice, mostly Lilly since she was crying harder and harder each second. "P-Please come back..." She said.<p>

"Kenny...Are you really?" Katie asked, then shook her head. "No..There's no way he's gone...He can't be..."

"So...You've awoken at last...Princess of Hollow Bastion." A dark sinister voice said, making everyone look to see who it was that appeared through darkness; It was an Orange hedgehog with Red eyes and a White steak on the top quill and star-like symbol on the front of it, and wore a Black leather coat with a long sinister cape, White gloves, shoes, and a Heartless symbol on the chest. "The keyhole is complete...And your purpose is now fufilled. But now it's over."

"Who...Are you?" Kathy asked.

After a while, Knuckles connected it. "I know you now! You're Rian! The REAL one!"

Rian stared walking toward him, making everyone suddenly prepared. "Don't take another step!" Tails said, until he suddenly stopped and glowed Orange. "Huh? Uh...Wow, he listened."

"W-What? I-Impossible!" The Seeker of Darkness said until a faint light appeared in front of him before it formed into a body; EX.

_"No..You're not using me for this!"_ He said.

"EX!" The Cherry Red hedgehog said in worry.

_"S-Stay back! Get out here and run! The Heartless are coming!" _

The Orange hedgehog just laughed. "They already are..." And he was right; All kinds of Heartless came out, ranging from Shadows to Defenders.

"U-Um...Tails? I'm not a wimp...But we don't stand a chance here. Maybe we should-" The echidna tried to say.

"Run away? Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing." He said back. "Guy's let's run!"

They all quickly ran the other direction toward the exit. "W-What about Juliet?!" Kathy asked.

"They'll have to find their own way out! Ichigo's here to help them! Let's just get out of here!"

While running away, a shadowy figured watched them from the distance; Dark Ken. **"...I found 'em. They're escapin'."**

_"That's good at least...Please, get me to them."_

**_"Yeah, yeah, I'm already on it. Just keep ya quills on."_**

_"Thank you Dark...I mean it."_

* * *

><p>"Katie, come on! Hurry up!" The fox said while everyone else was back into the enterance hall, where the five of them fought EX a while back.<p>

She shook her head. "I can't leave them behind!"

"There's nothing you can do! Just hurry!"

She didn't want to, but there was no other way. She climbed down the steps and were ready to run until the dark counterpart appeared in front of them. **"...I found ya!"**

"Dark Ken!" The kangaroo said before she growled in anger and prepared her katana. "I've got him!" She swiped it toward him, but he caught it. "L-Let go!"

**"I can't...I came to find you for him. He's still there...For he's my darkness."**

"His darkness?" Katie asked, then realized what he meant. "H-He's in there?" She received a nod.

**"And you are his light...You're the one who can-" **Before he could finish his sentence, Shadows grouped around them. **"Watch out!" **He was suddenly guarded by the female hedgehog. **"What? What're you doing?! You're suppose to STAY alive! Not killed!"**

"I know...But this time...I'll be the one to protect him." She said. He understood on what she meant, and what it was like to be a whole person. If there was anyone who deserved it more, it was Ken. His thoughts were interrupted by a Shadow leaping toward them, to which she hugged him in order to protect his body. But in doing so, created a large flashing light that rid of all the Heartless, and also replaced Dark Ken with someone else that was hugging her back; Ken the Hedgehog, the real one.

"..Katie...Thank you." He said silently, to which made her look to see him. _"And thank you for this Dark...I owe you."_

_**"You owe me nothing...Rat."**_

She smiled. "Welcome back."

"DADDY!" A voice said before jumping on him; Lilly. "Daddy, please don't leave me like that again! You scared me!"

He was surprised she was acting like this, but also sad. Because of what he did, it pained her. "Don't worry...I'm staying for good. And this time...As daughter and father."

"D-Daddy!" She hugged him tighter, which started cutting off his breathing.

"O-Ok! You can let me go now!" He said, to which made her do so. "Man, remind me to not do that again." It was then more Shadows came up around the six, getting them prepared. "I was only here for five seconds and things already get crazy!" One of them then leaped toward the hero, but it was suddenly cut down by a Black blur; Ichigo. "Ichigo!"

He looks at them. "You guys get out of here! There's a ton of these things! I'll stay here and make sure the princesses are safe!" He then formed the hollow mask on his face. **"Go!" **

They nodded, grabbed Katie, and flashed away to get back to the X Tornado.

* * *

><p>They all appeared back into the plane outside of the world, which surprise the female hedgehog while everyone got in their seats and it suddenly started getting attacked by small Shadows and Soldiers.<p>

"Tails! STEP ON IT!" Ken yelled.

"On it!" He said right before he started it up and made a quick U-Turn to suddenly warp away from Hollow Bastion.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in a whole new town, someone that appeared to be a Mobian was lying down on the ground before he got up. Where he was in was in front of an old mansion that was held by a gate. The Mobian was a Purple-Blue hedgehog with Silver rings through both his ears, multiple quills that curved down and upward, each of them having a Black streak, except the top since it had more of a starish look on it, and has a bit of wild fur halfway through his half lifeless eyes and glasses. He also wore a Purple shirt with a White 'X' on it, Black sleeves, with the elbow part of it shown, Grey gloves that holds two Silver rings on the left hand, Black pants, and Blue and Black shoes.<p>

He just stood there with nearly no life in his eyes until a man wearing a Black jacket and hood came through a portal of darkness and walked to the mysterious hedgehog. "..Do you want to know?" He lifted his arm to create floatings transparent letters, saying 'Ken'. "...You cannot feel anything..You cannot have feelings...Do you wish to have meaning?" The mysterious one nodded slowly, making the Black hooded man move his arm to make the letters float around him. He then made the spinning stop by the snap of his fingers, making all the scattered letters stop but also added and 'E' and an 'X'. "Tell me...What is your name now?"

The hedgehog looked at the now formed name by the thanks of these letters. "...Nexek."


	30. Keeping an Oath

_**Chapter XXX: Keeping an Oath**_

"...A'right, a'right already! Just calm it and explain to me what happened instead of babblin' like a bunch of morons!" Jet the Hawk said to the keyblade master. A while back, the heroes returned from Hollow Bastion and headed back to Traverse Town to find the Babylonian hawk, but when they came back the entire town was littered with Heartless of all kinds. Darkballs, Defenders, and so forth. With the help of Tails and Lilly, the hedgehog was able to explain all that happened with their help. The Leafy Green hawk just listened and nodded. "Ah, so that keyhole from that place is all out and open."

Tikal nodded, whom was sitting on the bed. "It explains so much...Why there is so many of them."

"And the only way to stop it..." Ken said until he summoned his Symbol of Hope keyblade. "...Is to close that keyhole, right?"

"Yeah, maybe. But nobody knows what'll happen once ya do." The fan wielding hawk stated.

"But we have a friend out there...We have to do something at least." Kathy said.

"Yeah...Ya do. Ya have one more to save...Though it's surprising. A fake keyblade...He must have made it from the princesses of heart, like that keyhole..." He looks at Katie, whom was sitting on the table. "But without her heart, all it was was just a powerless weapon and remained incomplete. With it gone, those other princesses SHOULD wake up by now." He looks back at Ken. "Listen to me, will ya Brown boy? If there's anyone that can save that guy, it's you."

The foxy mage smiled. "You've also got me with you."

"Same with my daddy!" The kangaroo said.

"I've got your back. All the way until the end." Knuckles said with a smirk.

"...Do I even need to say it?" The cat of purest twilight said with a smile.

He looked at his team with a smile. A while back he felt alone, but now, he wasn't anymore. He had people to back him up when he needed it. "Thanks guys, I mean it."

The door slammed open, making everyone suddenly prepared themselves until they saw who it was; Wave. "Jet! We need help! There's Heartless attacking the Second District!"

"What?!" He asks until he took out the large fan he holds. "Tikal! Take that girl to Shahra's to keep her safe!" She nodded and ran with the Cherry-Red hedgehog. "Ken, let's go!"

"Right!" He said back and ran with the others to the said district. Upon entering, they saw parts of the town destroyed by pieces of glass being shattered, fires all around the area, and pices of the ground destroyed. "Jeez...This place looks bad."

"I wonder if anyone here is alright..." The sunshined fox stated.

They all heard a female screaming, to which the voice of it the heroes recognized fully well. The source of it tried to run away until she fell by what appeared to be a Purplish dragon-like being with a Heartless symbol, whom the hero called a Wyvern, swooped in the knock her down; The girl was revealed to be Hatsune Miku. "It's the girl!" Kathy said.

"Miku! Hang in there!" The Hazel hedgehog said until he rushed toward the dragonite Heartless and swung his key-shaped weapon toward it, sending it away but quickly recovered by flapping its arms and flew around like a hawk roaming around a dead body. Getting impatient, he shot a bolt of Thunder at it, shocking it and sending it downard to the ground right before it was slashed with the weapon, destroying it and sending its heart into the sky. Upon its defeat, he helped her up. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yes...Thank you." She slowly got up until they were all surrounded by more of the Wyverns, along with Darkballs now. "W-What are...These?"

"Heartless!" The echidna said while preparing his shield, along with everyone else standing by all prepared.

"A'right guys! Get ready!" Jet said until one of the Wyverns were suddenly shot by a Yellow arrow of energy. "...Well, looks like your here..." He looks behind him to see the source of it jump where the dragon-like being of darkness was and quickly shot down all of the other ones with the same attack. Once finished, the being looked at them to reveal himself; Shadow the Hedgehog. "Hiya Shadow."

"Shadow!" The keyblade master and the two Knothole knights said in happiness, except both cat and kangaroo since they never met him, but they couldn't help but blush upon seeing him.

He nodded to them. "It's good to see you three still alright."

"You know them then?" The hawk asked, given a nod. "Good to know that. So...Did you ever find him yet?"

"...No. But I will soon." He said, then saw the girls. "...What's up with them?"

"Huh?" The fox asked, seeing the girls still in their previous state. "Uh..I'm not sure."

"...Whatever." He looks away. "Everything seems to be under control now, though maybe some people might need help." He starts walking off.

"Hay, Shadow! You're leaving again?" The Babylonian hawk asked.

"Don't worry...I'll be back."

He kept walking, but knowing of how the Jet Black hedgehog can be, they decided to leave him to what he needed to do. "So, I guess if that's all settled then I guess we should probably head on back and see if Katie and Shahra are alright."

"You do that, I'll get this girl all secured. But if ya do decide to leave, be careful, ya hear?" The Green hawk said while helping the Light Blue haired girl up and decided on taking her back to where she once was before she was chased.

After defeating the Heartless with the thanks of the ultimate lifeform, and trying to pry both of the girls in the group from their imagining positions just by the sight of the hedgehog alone for at least for what seemed like years, they headed back into the Third district and into Shahra's to see if the two were ok. Upon entering through, they indeed see the ring genie, but no Katie with her. Seeing them made her smile. "Welcome back Ken and friends."

"Hiya!" Lilly said while waving and smiling, to which she received the same gesture.

"Hey Shahra, nice to see you too." The hedgehog said, then looked around. "Where's Katie?"

"Oh? Oh, you mean the girl?" She asked. They nodded. "I hid her underneath this very area. She's safe and away from the Heartless."

He bowed down respectfully. "Thank you for protecting her...I mean it."

"It's not problem my fellow friend. Now, about the summoning gem you obtained."

He was still surprised by her knowing, but gave the Orange crystal to her, however, once she awoken it, a large gust of Black smoke came out an covered the ground. "So, you have called upon the legendary warrior, have you? Well as of now I will help you through your adventures by the one...And only..." Thr gust cleared up to reveal a small Orange bunny-like being with a Yellow belly, and wore Brown gloves and a pilot hat. "...Lord Daxter!"

The sight of him made the hedgehog annoyed. "...Really? I had to call on a small Orange rabbit?"

"Hey now! Show some respect, ya hear?! I'm not just something you can just pass on by with around every corner! I'm a legend and a hero, didn't ya here?"

"...Uh huh...You don't say?" Tails asked while skeptical.

"Are ya doubting the mighty Daxter?! Trust me, I'm a guy you'd ALWAYS want to be around!" He said while doing karate moves until he stubbed his toe, making him scream and jump into the air in pain. "OWOWOWOW!" He rubbed it to help dull the pain right before he looked to see everyone watching. "I mean...It was just a scratch! I meant to do that!" They kept doubting him, suddenly making him grab their feet and cried hysterically. "Oh just please take me with you! I have to find Jak and Keira!"

He couldn't help but feel bad for the small rodent. He wanted to find his friends just like he did. He made the decision and nodded. "Alright, you can come with us." Ken said.

"You will?" Daxter suddenly jumped up happily. "WOO!" Then remembered how he acted a bit ago. "Oh, and uh, let's keep that between us thank you VERY much. I'd hate to see my heroic figure getting ruined." He then turned into sparkles, absorbing himself into the keyblade.

"...Man, he was weird." Knuckles said.

"I thought he was kinda cute!" Lilly said with a giggle.

_**"Eh...Could'a been a lot worse." **_Dark Ken said within his real self's mind.

_"Oh, hey Dark. Doing fine in there?"_

**_"Yeah, I am. I gotta say, rat...It feels rather comfortable without that extra heart with ya and to be in here. That switch over of ours back in Hollow Bastion kinda wore me out. It was hard keeping your heart alive while taking over it for just that moment."_**

_"Well just rest. I owe you that much for saving me." _He thought, then looked back at Shahra. "Anyway, can you lead us to where Katie is?" After asking, Shahra nodded and snapped her fingers, revealing a floating platform that came out of the ground. They got on and they descended down into the caves where Jet always trained in. When entering, they saw her. "Katie!" He walked to her to see she was staring at the end of the waterway to stared at a painting of the sun and moon. "Katie?"

Kathy looked at them. "Maybe we should leave them alone and wait for him. Give them a bit of time." She whispered.

"Aaaw...Is daddy in love?" The kangaroo asked.

She smiled. "...Yes, I think so."

They all walked back to where they came from so they could leave the two hedgehogs alone. "Katie?"

"...There's a light at the end of the tunnel." She said while keeping her stare.

"Like...The tale of light and darkness? The same story your mom told you?"

"Like yours as well?" She asked, which surprised him. "I saw the memories of your dad and mom...Your mom mostly...She's nice."

"Thanks...Thought...You want to know what I find funny? I was looking for our friend Deimos, and Nero...But most importantly you...But the entire time, you were with me...And now we're together...And not just as one of us being a heart. Now...It's time to bring EX back from where he is."

"Do you think...Everything will be the same? EX is gone..."

"I don't know...I really don't if things will be the same once he's back, but I know something for sure; He'll be back with us again." Ken started while crossing his arms and looked at where she was staring. "Remember when I was lost in the darkness and couldn't find a way out of it? It was thanks to Dark for stalling it long enough for you to...To save me." She looked at him now in surprise. "That's what he believed. You're the reason I'm back here again."

She smiled happily. "I couldn't just forget you, there was no way I can."

He nodded. "Yeah, and that's how I'm going to get EX back." He put his hand to his chest. "No matter how deep we're in the darkness...Our hearts are connected. That's what both our moms said...Remember? 'In the deepest of darkness...There's light. Believe in it, and darkness will never rid of you.'."

"Yeah, so let's go and save him."

"Huh? N-No way!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's..." He tried to say, then takes a deep breath. "...It's way too dangerous for you to go. I already lost you once, I don't want to do that again." He shakes his head, with his quills shaking along with it. "I'm not saying it's bad, but..."

She sighs but keeps her smile. "I get it...Just be careful." He walks over to him and puts something in his hand; The star-like object made of seashells. "It's the lucky charm I finished. Just be sure to come back with it and you in once piece."

"...Yeah, I promise."

"And...Promise you won't forget...Wherever you go, I'm always with you."

He nodded while gripping on what she just gave him. He wanted to tell her a lot of things, and wanted to tell her of how he felt, but he knew that it had to wait until it was all over. He started walking to where his friends went until he realized it seemed a lot like his keychains. So he replaced his Symbol of Hope with it, transforming it into a new weapon; It was now a White blade that held a handle that consisted with two angel wings, and a Yellow star-like piece with Blue in the middle at the end. Knowing this resembled his bond with her and their promise, he named it Oathkeeper.

He closed his eyes in thought. _"Don't worry Katie...I'll be back." _He opened them and made his way over to his team.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in an area that was filled with darkness and consisted of a White pathway, similar to where Jasmine was at one point. On this path, held the Crimson hedgehog; EX, whom was walking weakly.<p>

He just kept walking while breathing heavily, having the very darkness around him finally overpowering his heart. "Ken...Katie...Kathy...I'm sorry..." He got onto his knees weakly. "Is...This really what hell looks and feels like?" An aura of Black started to overcome him. "I...I don't...Want to die like this...Not yet..."

"So, you're still alive and kickin'? Now THAT'S what I love to see!" A energetic voice said, which caught the Red hedgehog's attention and looked to see who it was; This very person was a Blue hedgehog with White globes, Red shoes with a single White strap on it locked in with a Gold buckle. But there was one other feature that was the most attractive; A keyblade that looked much like the Kingdom Key, but has a Silver handle and a Gold blade.

For some reason, he couldn't help but get annoyed by him. "...You have a keyblade."

"Yep! And you have NO idea how long it me to find ya! You were in all that darkness for so long I couldn't get to ya. But seeing you're here...I'm guessing your heart fought a great battle...But ya lost your body out of it. Though at least ya have your heart!"

"Then...Why am I here?"

"Well...This is a place where all hearts taken by the darkness arrive. They're all gathered here."

The voice just started annoying him, but decided to just accept it and listen. "A'right...What do I do to get out of here if you know a lot of bloody stuff about this place?"

"Eh...Well, that's the thing. Ya see, that Door to Darkness will be comin' up REAL soon. But here's the bad part; We can't cross through. It has to be closed by both sides. Two keyblades and hearts." The Blue hedgehog just said until he rubbed his quills. "Maybe that's why we're both here. By fate. But MAAAN won't Amy be mad!"

EX couldn't just believe what all he just said. "Fate, huh? You sound like you know a lot about this...Then, let me ask...Do ya think they'll all be ok?"

"...That's an answer I can't give to ya. But just do this; Just listen to your heart and it'll give you it."

Deciding to just to get it out of the way, he closed his eyes to look within his own heart. All he could see what just darkness, darkness within his heart, until there was a shine from within, seeing Ken, Katie, and Kathy in the light. He knew the answer, then opened them to look up to him. "...I'll help, but it changes nothing."

The Blue Mobian just smirked. "Alright, fair enough."


	31. The Hollow Castle - Part V

_**Chapter XXXI: The Hollow Castle - Part V**_

It took the heroes a while to get prepared and finally started their way back to Hollow Bastion to lock the final keyhole once and for all on the X Tornado. Along the way, everyone just stayed silent since there wasn't much to say regardless and it was all self-explanatory, that and Ken was just staring at his newest keyblade, Oathkeeper.

He just kept his stare onto it, having a larger resolve than before. _"Don't worry...I WILL be back."_

**_"We're nearly there...And I don't sense any Heartless in there. Maybe they ran off to destroy other worlds."_**

_"You can sense them?"_

**_"Yeah, and so can you since our hearts merged. Can ya feel it too?"_**

He focused on it, and he indeed feel it. They weren't there except maybe one, but it was much stronger than any Heartless he's ever come across. But where was it exactly? _"Yeah, you're right. I feel it. Though there's only one large one and that's it. But...Where?"_

**_"Your guess is JUST as good as mine, though I don't like it. Just be careful out there."_**

And he indeed heeded his advice, which was why he was prepared for anything with his newest keyblade out. Then awaited for anything to happen by closing his eyes.

* * *

><p>The five of them flashed into a bright light back into the area which contained the two rising waterfalls, the same area they all started in. Though how they did was different from before. Like always Tails was lying down with everyone else on top of him. "Ok, now we NEED to do something about this!"<p>

"I'll be honest, I don't even know how we ended up like this." The Hazel hedgehog said.

"Well can you PLEASE get off?!"

The agreed to do so and got off the the Yellow fox and looked around the area to see it's more clearer and less sinister looking that before. "Wow, things aren't looking creepy as it was before." Knuckles said. "Why is that?"

"Because there's not as much of those things than before." A voice said, to which they looked to see the source of it to be Ichigo, whom had the top of his robes gone and covered in wounds. "Hey guys."

"Hi Ichigo!" Lilly said, receiving a wave and smile

"You look worn out. Are you alright?" The keyblade master asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, but I've been through worse. Though I don't know why those things took off from here, but I get the feeling it's not good. But at least the others are alright."

Kathy knew what he meant by 'others'. "You mean the princesses? What about Juliet?"

"She's fine, same with everyone else. I couldn't find Orihime anywhere after saving the others. But they're at where that guy Black Doom use to hang out."

"Then maybe we should find that friend of yours then, see if she's alright." The keyblade master said while he started to move forward, then looked back at the wounded soul reaper. "Come on, let's go." He jumped from platform to platform with everyone else following, nearly entering back to where they once was before.

* * *

><p>The six heroes made their way back to the enterance hall, where Ken returning back to the real world and the fight against EX took place. Not seeing the one the teenager was looking for, they decided to check through a door that was in the left of the room, leading to a library. But not just any library, the very same one that was in the flashback of Katie. He added together and made a conclusion; Hollow Bastion was her home world, just like it was with Kathy in HedgeHaven.<p>

He was just left there standing in amazement by this discovery, to which the small kangaroo noticed this. "Daddy? Are you alright?"

He nodded, regaining back in concentration. "Yeah, I'm fine." He said until they all heard a book falling onto the ground. "What was that?"

"Sounded like it came from upstairs." The Yellow fox said. "Let's stay quiet and see who it is before we get the-" He looked at all of them until he saw the Orange haired man running up. "...Jump on it..."

He ran up as quickly as possible with his sword prepared but stopped by the sight of something in which left him in shock; It showed a woman reading through a few books on a shelf, then looked at him to see who it was, which surprised her to. It was her, Orihime. "I-Ichigo..." She said quietly, then looked away shyly.

He paid no attention to her facial expression and just walked over to her. "Are...Are you alright, Orihime?" She was surprised by that question, knowing after putting him through all he had to go through just so he could save her, but she just smiled and nodded. The five others followed slowly, making them noticeable.

"You're the keyblade master, Ken the Hedgehog, yes? The ones Zelda, Peach and Juliet talked about?" She asked, given a nod. "Then you're the one to help seal the keyhole."

"Yep, that's what we're here for." Ken said while showing her his legendary weapon. "Don't worry about it too much, we'll take care of it, but it might be too late to get on over there if Rian's there."

She nodded. "Of course, which is why Zelda thought ahead on it." He gave him a small wooden ocarina and a song sheet. "She says that this will help you get there quickly."

He took them. "Thanks, but what about you?"

"I must stay here and help stop the darkness in the keyhole from spreading. It's coming through every direction."

"You guys have to stay here until we settle it, huh?" The echidna asked.

"Well then...Ichigo, how about you stay with her?" The hedgehog asked, which surprised him. "I know how hard you worked on finding her and keeping the other princesses safe. You should stay here and rest with her. I know you deserve it."

"But I-" He was about to say until a part of his body glowed Orange, making him look to see the young woman healing his wounds with a shield-like barrier around it. The sight of it made him sigh. "...Alright. I'll stay. Just be careful. Things won't get easier for you guys."

They heeded his advice and the Brown one then prepared himself to use the ocarina and play the song named 'Song of Soaring'. "Do you know on how to play that?" Kathy asked in question.

"Nope." He just said and begun playing the notes as best as he could until a small White tornado covered them. "HEY! WHOA NO-" He didn't finish on what he said since they were covered by a pair of angel wings from the wind and suddenly disappeared.

* * *

><p>The tornado reappeared into the meeting area of where Black Doom once stood in, leaving the heroes there before it disappeared. They looked around to see they were where they are now, and the five other princesses of heart there talking. Upon their arrival, both Peach and Zelda looked with a pleasurable smile.<p>

"Oh, it's you again! I'm so happy to see you!" The Toadstool princesses said with her smile still on. "Thank goodness you're here."

"Hey, I wasn't about to leave you guy here to fend for yourselves on this." The keyblade master said with a smile. "Besides, I bet Mario's worried about you." He looks at the Hyrule princess now. "Same with Link. It was rough for him, same with Navi. She was dying to find you for him."

She nodded sadly. "I know my disappearance has caused him much pain, but we cannot depart from here yet. We must hold the darkness here for just a little while longer until you seal it." At that moment, the other ones came towards them to.

Though upon seeing them, Juliet was the one that was most happiest by their sight. "Kathy!" She said and suddenly hugged her cat friend tightly. "I'm so glad you're ok!"

"I see you six know of her very well then."

The Wolf-Dragon hybrid then stopped and looked at everyone except Lilly since she didn't recognize her. "..You guys look different. Why are you not cats?"

The Knothole mage rubbed the back of his head. "Well...It's a long story."

"Then do you know of the others then?" Zelda asked, receiving a shake of their heads.

"Hi, my name is Elora." The faun, Elora said with a smile. "I heard Spyro was with you in the entire journey. Was he much help to you?" They nodded. "That's good to know. I'll be glad to see him again when we get back to Avalar."

"And I'm Keira, best mechanic in Havon City." The elf-like girl, Keria said.

That name sounded familiar. "Keira...Do you know someone named Daxter?" Ken asked now.

She was surprised. "Yeah, I know him! Is he ok?"

"Yeah. Hang on." He said to her then stabbed his weapon into the ground. "Daxter, I need you." There was now Black smoke coming out of the ground and a flame shot out from the sky until it landed, revealing to be Daxter. "Hey buddy, I've got a surprise for you."

"Oh yeah? What of-" He was saying until he saw her. "Keira! Baby! You're alright!" He jumped up to her shoulder and smirked. "Nice to see ya again sweetcheeks."

She felt an instant regret. "I told you I'm not interested in animals, but...At least you're alright." She then smiled, knowing her friend was ok. "What about Jak? Did you find him?"

"Nah, not yet. But hey, I've been helpin' these guys outta tight spots!" He said to her with a smirk, but they didn't buy it.

"...Uh huh, really?" She said unimpressed. "Anyway, I think you've got people to help now." Daxter was about to say something, but he was taken back into the keyblade before he could. She sighed. "Men. Never change." She put her attention back onto what was happening now. "Anyway, with that out of the way. Back to the keyhole, I think you're the guy we're looking for."

Knuckles then remembered something. "Oh yeah! What about Rian? Shouldn't we worry about him too?"

The five princesses looked at each other, then back at them. "Um...He's gone." Juliet said simply.

"GONE?!" They all asked in shock.

"Yep. When that keyhole appeared, that darkness that came out just ate him whole."

"But the scary part of it was...He was just laughing." Peach said. "It was...Frightening."

Nobody blamed her for that. The seeker of darkness obtaining the purest darkness always never ends well. With that said, Ken nodded and prepared the Oathkeeper. "Don't worry. Leave it to us. We'll stop it once and for all." They smiled upon hearing that, and the five of them ran to where the final keyhole rested, hoping to end it once and for all.

* * *

><p>They entered back into the large area in which the entire battle against Rian, which looked much better now with the six females out of their crystal cases, and looked at the large Golden mechanical heart that held darkness inside it. They knew that this was the only direction toward the final keyhole, and there was no way they could turn away.<p>

The hedgehog knew that this was the end of the line, sighed, and turned to his friends. "Well guys, this is it. Are you ready?"

"Yeah!" Tails said.

"Always!" Knuckles stated while popping his...Well, knuckles.

Kathy nodded. "Yeah...I'm ready."

"Do I need to ask?" Lilly asked with a smile and giggle.

"Well then, let's go!" The keyblade master said with a smirk and ran up toward the large set of stairs and jumped through the darkness within the large heart. Upon entering into it, they were now in an area filled with nothing but darkness that came into the darkest of Purples, Reds, Greens, and Yellows. He looked around. "Sheesh, pretty dark in here."

The kangaroo wondered around until there was a flash in the distance, revealing to be what the searched for; The keyhole under a large Heartless emblem. "Daddy, look! There it is!" She quickly ran to it.

**"Stop her! The strongest Heartless is here!" **Dark Ken yelled.

"Lilly! Step back!" The Brown Mobian yelled but she was too far ahead to hear and ended up being sent away by a large brest landing near her and causing wind to blow her away. The beast a large four legged Behemoth-like Heartless that was Cyan, had a horn on top of its head alongside two tusks going upward on its head, and a Heartless symbol on the chest. "These things never like giving us a break now do they?!" He summons his Oathkeeper while the youngest one ran back next to the heroes and prepared themselves for what they were about to face. The final battle to the keyhole.

**_Enemy: Behemoth_**

It roared loudly in sheer power while it stomped the ground, creating waves of energy from the impact to come out from it, to which the five of them tried to dodge it as best as they could but ended up getting sent backwards by the impact. In order to recover, the hedgehog and kangaroo stabbed their weapons and they both quickly ran together toward the beast.

She looked at her 'father'. "Daddy!"

"Right!" He yelled. They both grabbed each others hands and jumped over any waves of energy to get near the large Heartless, and started slashing its legs by spinning each other and jumping toward it, then finished their barrage of attacks by letting each other go so they could get near away from each other and twirled their weapons toward it so it can cause some sort of impact, but it did nothing in the long run. "W-What? Nothing happened!" The large beast suddenly jumped up into the air and landed, creating an even larger wave to send the both of them back.

Though by doing this, it was now the other three of the groups turn. Both the fox and cat ran toward the beast with their powers ready and started shooting off their fire-based abilities, which were intertwined with both of normal and darkness, toward its head, but it did little to no damage to it. But as a reaction to the fire barrage, it formed a ball of electricity in between the horn on its head and the tusks right before it shot it into the sky to create orbs of darkness being shot from the sky and down onto the ground and at the heroes.

The Red echidna reacted to what was happening by lifting the shield above him to protect himself from the orbs that were about to hit him in the head, then ran over to the other two to protect them and looked at the large horn on its head, and thought of something. Wait, he thought of something? Better appreciate this moment if he does this. He took a chance and threw his shield at the horn, hitting it while also causing it to roar loudly, and caused his weapon to be sent back. "Hey guys! It's the horn! That's its weak spot!"

"Awesome job Knuckles! Leave the rest to us!" Ken yelled while he grabbed onto Lilly's hand and threw her to the ground so she can get back to her feet. "Let's beat thise guy!"

She smiled and laughed a bit. "Ok! Fun time!"

They both ran toward the large behemoth as fast as they could with their weapons ready, and just when it jumped to create the large wave again, they dodged it by jumping up high enough to aim themselves toward the horn, and the both of them hurled their respective weapons toward it, making it crack slightly and its owner roar in rage. Upon getting hit there, it shook its head to rid of them, hitting and sending the two backwards, but the small katana wielder was put in front of large Heartless' mouth and was ready to eat her, but the hedgehog saw this quickly. "Lilly!" He yelled.

Acting quickly, he shot the strongest fire he could create from behind him, making him suddenly send himself toward her and pushed her away, taking her place instead. At that moment, he was eaten while she landed onto the ground. She shook her head and slowly got up to look around. "D-Daddy?" She looked at the large one in shock. "D-Daddy!"

* * *

><p>Within the large monster, he fell into the darkness in the inside, looking around and finding a way to get out, but there wasn't one. Could this actually be it for him, after just coming back from the dead? "Is..This it for me? After getting so close and yet so far?"<p>

_"Don't count on it...Ya bloody wanker."_

"E-EX?" He looked around to see if he was around.

_"Come on now...Ya really gonna give up here? Seems like I'm savin' ya back like I always do, even after gettin' off the island." _There was the sound of a sigh. _"...A'right, I have just enough darkness to give ya this...After that, there ain't much to do."_

There was a dark flame that now engulfed the keyblade master's hand, making him look to see what was inside his palm; A keychain that was the shape of a Black crown. "What...Is this?" The next wierdest thing then happened, his Oathkeeper then glowed in a radiant light, meaning its ability has activated.

* * *

><p>While the kangaroo stared in shock, a being covered in an aura of light shot out of its back, revealing to be Ken the Hedgehog himself with his weapon glowing, then the tip of it formed into what appeared to be the blade part of a sword. The sight of it made her happy. "D-Daddy!"<p>

"You're finished you big beast!" He yelled until he quickly descended downward onto the Behemoth and swung his powered up keyblade at the horn, cutting it in half. However, the slash also left an explosion of light to consume the large beast, destroying it.

**_Behemoth: Defeated_**

He landed onto the ground before the blade of light faded away, then slowly got up with a smirk while they all gathered around. "Are you alright?" Knuckles asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Though I thought I was done for." He said back while rubbing his quills, then turned back to the keyhole so he could lock it. He aimed his weapon towards it and shot the ray of light into it, hearing a locking noise. It indicated that it was over, and the keyhole to Hollow Bastion was locked.

"Ken, ya did it." A voice called from the outside, making them all looked at the entry to the dark world. They walked out of it and back into where they were to see who was there; Jet, Wave, and Tikal. "Never woulda thought you had it."

"Hey guys! Why are you here?" Tails asked in wonder.

"And is Katie ok?" The Brown one asked, worrying for her safety.

The Green hawk nodded. "She's fine, don't worry. We got here on the Babylon Rouge ship Storm made for us a while back so we can check this place out after being out for so long."

"For so long?" He then remembered. "Oh yeah...This is your home, right? Storm told me."

"Yes, that's right." Tikal said. "We wanted to see how it is now, but it's in worse shape than I've ever imagined."

"Yeah, and it was always so peaceful back then." The Purple swallow said. "Though if that guy Rian's defeated, things outta return back to normal. Everyone's home, all the people lost, and so on. But...That also means goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Kathy asked.

"Aaaw, don't worry! We can always see you guys again on-"

Jet sighed. "There's a problem with that." The heroes listened. "Look, there's a reason nobody knew about the other worlds. It's because there's been barriers that stopped anyone from getting through. The Heartless destroyed them, and if the worlds return, so do the walls."

She shivered. "Then...That means..."

"We'll never see each other again." Ken finished in shock, then looked at his friends. By the end of everything, he will never see the ones he care for so much ever again. But his frown on it then turned into a smile. "Well...That's fine." They were surprised by his response. "Because I know that even if we're away, our hearts are always connected, right?" The Rouges couldn't help but smile at his response and nodded. "But...I have to ask you guys something, about Hamon...My dad."

The Leaf Green hawk's eyes squinted a bit. "So, ya know, huh?" He nodded. "I'll be honest, I never even met the guy since I wasn't born around that time, but from what I heard, we was a good guy. He was a keyblade master, like you and your mom. But...He was much different than any other one. He used the power of darkness since his heart held it, but not to the point of like Kathy here...Not twilight, but dusk." He crossed his arms. "He did a ton of good toward people unintentionally, but nobody's heard from him ever since. The last time he was ever heard of was in some place called the Keyblade Graveyard, but...Nobody knows where that is now. Same with your mom, Jasmine. Nobody's ever seen her as well." He looked at him now. "...I knew you were a relative of his since I first met ya, so...I held some sort of expectations."

The hedgehog couldn't help but smile a bit. Not by them being missing, but that he held some sort of resemblance toward them. He couldn't help but feel...Proud. Proud to be their son. However, his train of thought was suddenly broken by hearing a voice.

"KATHY!" It yelled, making them all look to see it was Juliet. "Kathy! There's something going on in The Great Hall!"

"What is it?!" She asked.

"A portal just opened! I'm not sure what it is, but it's dangerous!"

They felt a sudden sense of alarm going through their bodies and quickly ran down to see what it was.


	32. Fighting the Unknown

_**Chapter XXXII: Fighting the Unknown**_

It was a while since Juliet told the five heroes of what was going on in the Grand Hall, so they followed her down to see what was going on, and upon entering back to where they were, they saw the other four princesses of heart looking at what appeared to be a Dark portal.

Ken walked over to see it too. "What's...Going on here?"

"Something weird, that's for sure." Elora said.

"I don't know what happened, but this thing appeared all of a sudden." Peach said in worry. "I'm afraid of what's behind it. It's far worse than Bowser...But also the same as Rian as well."

"Same a Rian?" Tails asked, then started thinking. "Maybe it's a portal to take us to him?"

The Hyrule princess shrugged. "That I'm not sure of, but whatever is the cause of it must be stopped."

The keyblade master knew he had to do something so he summoned his Oathkeeper. "Leave it to us. We'll deal with it."

Keira looked at him. "Yeah? Well let's hope you've got what it takes."

"Just watch me." He said back with a smirk and walked towards the portal.

In response to what he's going, the fox just sighed. "Why does he have to drag me into all this kind of stuff?" He just decided to go anyway along with the others, entering into the portal and ready for anything.

* * *

><p>They went through a dark portal that led to where they all fought Devil Doom, which looked much better after the alien-like vines gone. They walked forward while looking around, but unknown to them, a small Black Hooded figure with Silver lining attached the the hood, the very same one from before that gave the Purple hedgehog his name, slowly started to appear behind them.<p>

_**"Ken! Behind you!"**_

The persons walking then caught their attention. "W-Who are you?" Knuckles asked, but the figure just kept walking forward, toward the Brown hedgehog. In response to this, they quickly started attacking the hooded one with all their attacks, but they just went through him. Literally since he was transparent. Not knowing on what to do, he started backing away to get away from him, but the figure was faster and went through him. The moment he did, memories of him throughout the entire adventure just flashed within him mind right before he knelled down weakly while the figure then became solid. "W-What did he..."

"Who is he?" The twilight cat wondered in worry, wondering on anything that might happen.

Finally recovering, the keyblade master turned to look at this figure. "Who...Are you?"

_"It seems you are special too." _He said silently.

"Huh?" Lilly asked, then recognized the voice. "U-Uh...Rian?"

_"Rian? That name...Sounds familiar. You...Remind me of them. Hamon and...Him." _It suddenly formed Blue electricity into his hand.

The sound of that made the hedgehog worried. "Like...Him? I know about Hamon, but who's he? And what do you mean?" There was a sudden beam of electricity being shot towards him after the hooded figure suddenly turned to shoot it, only for it to be blocked by the Oathkeeper. He stood his guard for the longest amount of time until he parried it to send it into the roof, destroying a part of it.

_"It means...You are not whole. You are...Incomplete...Allow me...To test your power." _

Ken just glared at the hooded figure in anger, then prepared his weapon for anything, along with the others for this unknown person.

**_Enemy: Unknown_**

However, despite being prepared, the hooded person was too fast for them to even catch since it suddenly turned into a Black mist and appeared behind them before creating a transparent square shield, knocking them away and causing them to be scattered. Figuring on which one to deal with first, he chose Lilly since she was the younger one. He quickly rushed to her while she recovered by her tail hitting the floor and took out her katana. "Get away!" The hooded one then suddenly summoned two Red sabers of light out of his hands and started swinging them toward her while also spinning, to which she dodged the best she can and started swinging her long sword at him, but he too dodged them as well.

It was just nothing but a test of who could hit one another first, but the question to who could win was finally answered when she was hit in the face with the blade, though it didn't cut anything off, though it did send her back spinning around. Though she did recover once again, but just when she did, the figure was fast enough to leave her unguarded and punched her directly in the face, sending him flipping around in the air and ground until she hit a wall, revealing she was knocked out.

"Lilly!" Tails yelled in worry, then grew angry. "You're going to get it!" He quickly ran toward the Black hooded man with all of his magic prepared for any use, alongside Kathy running alongside him. The two of them did their usual fire combo toward him, but they all ended up getting dodged quickly and easily with little to no effort. And now it was his time to attack them now, and did so by creating a barrier of electricity and suddenly shot sparks of it at them, sending the two of them far away. Knowing that the Sunshine colored kitsune had a higher power in magic, he turned into the Black mist and quickly flashed in front of him to deal with the mage. He saw this and tried to shoot out Blizzard since he knew that both Fire and Thunder wouldn't work, but was suddenly punched in the stomach before he could do such a thing, making him spit out saliva from the impact and hit a wall. Still awake, he tried to get up but was suddenly grabbed and thrown away until he was struck by the lightning, making him fall down unconscious until the Brown hedgehog quickly caught him.

"Tails!" He said. "Come on, wake up!" The hooded person suddenly dashed toward him with the Red blade ready, but it was suddenly countered by the Oathkeeper, but the force of the opposing blade sent him backwards. _"This is crazy! He beat both Lilly and Tails without breaking a sweat! I think it's about time I show him what happens when you mess with my friends!" _He tried to form the blade of light from his weapon, but nothing happened. _"W-What? Why won't it work?!"_

_**"It's probably the same as how it was with that Symbol of Hope and Triblade weapons of yours. Sacrifice energy just to do it. You're still weak in that after dealing with that Behemoth! Even if ya use those keychains like Wrench Wacker or Jibbering Jaberwolky, you'll still be too slow. Try the Kingdom Key of yours!" **_

He decided to take his dark counterparts advice and did his best to switch them out, but the hooded one rushed toward just before he could try to switch them out. However, it was cut off by a shield getting in the way, Knuckle's shield. He ran as fast as he could due to his muscles and attempted to punch him in the face, but the attack was quickly dodged and countered it by hitting the echidna's leg with the Red blade, making him kneel until he was also hit in the face, knocking him down onto the ground harshly while pieces of rock flew away. All that was left was both Ken and Kathy now, and nothing more.

He turned to the cat, whom was now shooting her orbs of Grey energy toward him, but he blocked it with the square shield and rushed toward her with the electricity filled into an orb within his hand, then shot it, sending her backwards and unconscious until the last remaining one caught her and placed her down onto the floor. He slowly got up to look at the enemy while changing his Oathkeeper into the Kingdom Key, then they both ran at each other and both of their attacks quickly clashed, though not as fast as Lilly's battle was since she was the smallest yet faster one. Regardless of how much he tried to get pass his defense of attacks, they were only faster than him. He knew he couldn't use Jibbering because of how slow it was, Triblade, Symbol of Hope, and Oathkeeper since he was low on energy, and Toadstool Toppler actually would give him the ability to fly but he could get knocked down easily due to how fast this person was. So there wasn't much to do at the moment.

At the end of the clash, the mysterious hooded person ended up being the victor, and send him the legendarily weapon wielder back. _"Everyone's out and I'm all that's left! I have no energy to use the other abilities, and my other ones will just slow me down! What else is there I can do?!" _He then suddenly remembered what EX said a bit ago within his mind.

_"...A'right, I have just enough darkness to give ya this...After that, there ain't much to do."_

He takes something out of his pocket, the Black crowned keychain; EX's. "Could...This really help me?"

_**"I dunno, but ya gotta try somethin'!" **_

Deciding to give it a try, he switched his Kingdom Key with the newest one, giving the weapon a whole different form. It was now a Deep Black weapon with Batwings as a guard, and a Kanji sumbol on the end. Thinking of how dark it looked, he thought of the word Oblivion, and that's the name he stuck it with. However, he put his thoughts on the new weapon on hold since the hooded man was rushing toward him with the Red blades out, to which he tried to block all of his attacks but since they were much slower, he ended up getting hit much more than before until he was sent away until the wall, hitting it. At the same time, the electricity formed into his hand and quickly shot it. _"Dark...This isn't working! It's doing nothing! I need it to work now or I'm dead!" _At that moment, the weapon glowed. _"What the..."_

_**"I think it has something to do with our connection! You know what I'm thinkin'?"**_

_"...Yeah, I think so. Are you ready?"_

**_"Ready as you are...Ken."_**

"SYNCHRO_**NIZATION!" **_They both yelled.

Darkness suddenly covered hi entire body, making the Black hooded figure not move to look at what was happening. _"...He holds his father's part of using darkness...But how can he wield the power of brightest of lights?"_

The darkness faded away to reveal who stood in his place; Dark Ken, holding the Oblivion while small tendrils were on his back. **"...Yo! You ready to have some fun? 'Cause I am!"**

_"Let's beat him, Dark!"_

**_"Mind if I beat him up more than I should for hurting our friends?"_**

_"Gladly!"_

_"...Interesting...This will be fun..." _He said silently

The Heartless hedgehog was then quickly flew backwards and then charged at the unknown person with the weapon prepared, to which he too then charged with the Red laser blades, causing the both of them to clash and start swinging their blades at one another in such a fast pace. Due to how swift Dark Ken can be, he used to his advantage to start flying around his body to get a quick area of weakness, but he could never get a clear shot since they were all countered in such a fast speed. Their clashes just kept going on and on until they both parted from each other and skidded across the ground. Taking this as an opportunity, the Dark counterpart quickly moved toward him at a fast speed but the impossible happened, and it shocked him as well; The Red blade created by the small hooded one stabbed right through his stomach, making him limb and thrown away to the side while the darkness faded away, leaving Ken to lie there weakly with the stab.

**"I-I'm sorry...I did everything I could..."**

_"Don't beat yourself up Dark...You did all you could...He's just...Too strong." _He thought mentally to his Dark half, then looked up to partially see who was under it; A Black hedgehog, but it wasn't Shadow for sure. He lifted up his blade to deliver the finishing blow.

"Yo, boss!" A voice yelled while the source of it came through a Dark portal, to which he looked to see it was someone who wore that same kind of coat the hedgehog did. "He's starting to get around!"

He looked at the other member and nodded before putting the blade up and walking away. "W-Wait!" The Brown hedgehog said while trying to get up while holding his wound, catching their attention. "What...Are you guys? Who are you?"

_"...It is beyond your capability to understand...For now..."_

"Who...Are you?"

He started walking away to the portal. _"We are merely...An empty shell of what we were." _He walked through, leaving the follower with them.

"Hey, remember what he's sayin'. You know...Get it memorized." He said to him and followed through, leaving them.

He tried his best to follow them, but ended up falling over and unconscious.

**_Unknown: Victorious _**

* * *

><p>After what seemed like a while, Ken started to slowly wake up and see an Orange shield covering him while in an area that was the Great Hall, then looked to see the source of it; Orihime. "W-What happened?"<p>

"You were bleeding so badly from that fight. I'm here to heal your wounds." She said.

He then remembered all that happened. "Oh yeah, that's right! Where's everyone else?"

"Right here!" A voice said, making him look to see it was Knuckles. "Nice to see ya alright!"

He looked everywhere else to see the princesses, his friends, and Ichigo nearby. They must have been worried for him. After healing, he slowly got up and Lilly wanted to hug him but she knew on how beat up he was so she resisted to the best of her ability. "Sorry to worry you guys...But it wasn't easy, I'll tell you that much."

"Yeah, same here. If that guys was that strong, then I'd hate to see what Rian will be like!" Tails said.

"Tell me about it...Just give me a bit of rest and I'll be ready."

"I'm afraid you won't have enough time." Zelda said, which caught their attention. "Rian's power has grown greatly, and so has the darkness."

"Huh?" Juliet asked. "Oh yeah, that! Yeah, I'm surprised we didn't see it! I guess I was all worried for you guys!"

The five heroes groaned a bit. "Well...I guess we don't have much of a choice then. We have to go." He looks at the Orange haired girl. "Thanks for helping me, I mean it. You saved my life."

"Shame I can't come with you guys." Ichigo said with a smirk while crossing his arms. "If it wasn't for that rule about taking people from other worlds crap."

"Yeah, I wish too." He shook hands with the Soul Reaper. "Thanks...Ichigo. For everything."

Elora then remembered something. "Oh yeah, take this!" She handed him a small bag, to which he opened and looked to see what was inside; The seven emeralds that helped unlock the final keyhole.

"Use it when you're just in a pinch. I hear when they're together, they form miracles. So...Make this one of them!" Peach said.

"Hey, Kathy?" The Wolf-Dragon hybrid asked, catching the twilight cats attention before given a hug. "...Come back soon!"

She nodded and went back with the five. This was finally it. The time of ridding of Rian and bringing back everyone's home was finally near, and to stop the most purest of evil. They all started glowing brightly while giving them their final goobyes and suddenly flashed away.

* * *

><p>They all reappeared back into the X Tornado, and they all sat down onto their seats.<p>

The fox mage started everything up. "Ready guys? There's no turning back from this!" They all nodded without a single hesitation, and started flying toward the final world, where Rian awaits.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the very same hedgehog that fought the heroes in Hollow Bastion sat onto a rock within a dark beach, with sinister and warpy looking trees within the ocean being lit up by the moon, looking like he was waiting something. However, his wait was then stopped by someone, whom also took the form of a hedgehog with a Black coat that looked much like his, walking to him.<p>

"...You've arrived." The one waited said. "I've been to see him...He looks a lot like you."

"...Who are you?" The small one asked.

"I'm all that's left...Or maybe...I'm all there ever was."

"...I meant your name."

"My name is of no importance..." He looks at him. "What about you? Do you know your true name?"

The questioning one looked down, revealing a piece of who it is underneath; The Purple hedgehog.


	33. End of the World - Part I

_**Chapter XXXIII: The End of the World - Part I**_

During the time the five heroes were recovering after their fight with the unknown hooded person, they were finally on their way to where Rian rested within and toward the final battle. On their way, they all thought of all they went through up until this very moment; All it was at first was just to stop the Heartless, but now it was more than that. They needed to stop him from taking control of the darkness, and this time, for good, and to save both Ken and Katie's friend; EX. Not only that, but once he was defeated, everyone would return to their own worlds, meaning they would never see each other again.

Everyone stayed silent throughout the entire trip while the keyblade master just looked at everyone of whom he would miss dearly. He knew both Tails and Knuckles would return back to their kingdom with King Sonic once this was over along with Lilly since it was originally her home, and Kathy would be back in HedgeHaven like she was suppose to be, but what of himself? He was never originally from Destiny Islands, so where would he go? He doesn't know if his world is still there, or if it is, then what if it's hell on earth? But regardless of these thoughts, he knew that it shouldn't matter. Because he had a world to save. Everything that led from gaining the power of the Keyblade all the way up until now finally says that the end of his journey is near.

He kept to his thoughts until he heard someone. "Daddy! Look!"

He heard the voice was from Lilly. "What is it?" The Brown hedgehog asked.

"That!"

The wielder looks up to see what everyone else was looking at in horror; It was a vortex that held many fragments of the worlds that was destroyed, but in the middle was a large Purple sphere. The very fragments of them hurt him greatly since he saw all that remained of them. All the worlds and lives lost, held into this very place. "Oh my god..."

"Talk about a nightmare!" Knuckles said in astonishment, then looked at his fox friend. "Is this it?"

He checks it. "Yeah...It is."

"There's...So much darkness in there...It's...scary." The cat of purest twilight states, then looks at her island friend now. "Are...You ready for this?"

This was finally it. There was now way to turn back now. "...Let's do it. The world's depending on us."

"So..." The kangaroo starts before pointing ahead. "FULL SPEED AHEAD FOR YOUR CAPTAIN!" They all sweatdropped by her saying this, but decided to do so but it was suddenly attacked. "What?! What's going on?!"

Tails looked to see something destroying the plane; Heartless, of all races that ranged from Shadows to Wizards, but there was one new one that decided to attack as well. It a Black and muscular beast with two Purple horns that had the insides curved into a heart, a hole in its chest that was shaped like a heart, wings, and a devil tail while also wielding a sword. For some odd reason, the Dark Chocolate Mobian decided to call it 'Invisible'. "Heartless! We need to bail!"

"We can't run away!"

"Who said about running away? We're aborting this ship!" He quickly pressed as many buttons as he could and the five of them then flashed into a light before shooting into the heart of the darkness.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>X-End of the World-X<strong>_

The all suddenly appeared into a cave of some sorts, though surprsingly this time, nobody was on top of the Knothol mage. However, they watched something through one of the openings from within their location; They all saw the X Tornado falling down in flames, which actually hurt him since he built it himself, and exploded while scattering many of the beings of darkness.

By this happening, he got onto his knees with tears streaming. "The X Tornado...My best invention...Destroyed." He looked down. "It took me so long to make it. And now...It's gone."

"Aaaw, cheer up!" Lilly said while sitting down, crossing legs, and patted his back. "At least your alive! That's something!"

"Yeah...I know. But I can't help but be sad that it happened."

Ken shook his head, with his quills shaking around a bit. "Well...Looks like there's on way out now." He gripped his fists and looked at the exit, to which he walked out to see the site; A sea of darkness that holds multiple pieces of worlds and land. "Oh man..." He stared at it more until the rest of them saw what was in front of them.

"Oh jeez...So THIS must be what's left of what the Heartless destroyed." The Yellow Mage says.

"Really? Ouch." The small kangaroo just says.

"If that's really true...Then once we beat Rian, everything will return back to normal, right?" The Keyblade master asked, given a nod by his fox friend. "So...If that's really the case and the worlds will return back to the way it was along with the walls...Then what's going to happen to this place? And to us?"

This question really sent it home. Never once have they ever thought of that before, and it indeed does bring a valid point. What WILL happen once all of this is said and done? Would they return back to their worlds like they're suppose to? But all of this thinking was stopped by Knuckles. "Wait a sec! This is a Heartless world, right?" They nod. "Then maybe this place will just go away!"

"Yeah...I think you're right." Tails says.

"But...I'm not worried in any way." Kathy says while looking at them. "Because I know that no matter what happens, we'll be with our friends since they're always with us."

_**"Seems like she's learned a lot from you."**_

_"Yeah...Maybe." _The Brown Keyblade master then takes out two objects from his pocket; Oathkeeper and Oblivion. _"Katie...EX...Wait for me." _He grips on them tightly. "Come on...Let's go!"

They all nod and quickly follow the running hedgehog, but at the very last second, the one they followed just falls into the sea of darkness. "KEN!" They all yelled this before jumping in to follow their comrade.

They all fell through the darkness to see all of images of the Heartless destroying all of the worlds, taking others hearts, and for some reason, some memories of Jasmine for the Brown hedgehog, to which everyone sees.

* * *

><p><em>The Grey female hedgehog, whom was now at least a month or two pregnant, kept walking through the pathway she was on with a Keyblade in hand while two others were floating near her. He knew one of them was owned by his father, Hamon, but what of the other one? Regardless, she kept walking while a large Heartless watched her within the darkness.<em>

_She kept walking while rubbing her stomach. "Don't worry too much...Ken. I'll find you a place where you'll be safe...I promise." Her ears suddenly perked up and quickly leaped away from the large and bestial monster of darkness to attack her._

_"M-Mom!" He knew it was a memory, but the emotions of seeing his mother in danger was real to him. "MOM!" However, he was interrupted by another memory showing up in front of him._

* * *

><p><em>"...Plus I made these as good luck charms for you guys!" Jasmine said, showing and taking out objects that looked much like the Oathkeeper, but they were made of different colored gems. "One for each of you." She throws the Orange one to one of them, Hamon, and the Green one to a mysterious hedgehog; Ashen.<em>

_"Whoa, NO WAY! I get one too?!" He asked._

_"Of course you do silly." She shows them the Blue one. "They say that there's a tree that holds star-shaped fruit out there...And it represents an unbreakable connection." There was only one thing he knew she was talking about; The Paopu fruit from the islands."So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms like this, nothing can drive you away or apart...And you'll always meet each other again." She rubs her quills with a slight blush. "Though...They're suppose to be made of seashells."_

_Hamon just smirked. "Jeez...When aren't you a perfectionist?" She just looked at him and playfully smacked his arm. Though Ken couldn't help but smile at the sight of his parents. They were in love with each other, and loved one another until their deaths, or...Just one death. This time, he didn't get a memory. Instead, a glimpse of the future._

* * *

><p><em>What he saw within the memory was a person wearing a Black cloak and hood, very much of the unknown man back in Hollow Bastion. And he just sat there in the dark beach on a rock, the very same one in which he was born in, until he saw someone walking over to him, and even the Keyblade master couldn't believe it on who it was; Jasmine, who was much older since she gave birth and covered in a bit of blood stained on her clothes. He couldn't believe it. If this really was the future, then that only mean one thing: She was alive. Alive and out there somewhere. <em>

* * *

><p>The memories disappeared before them while they fell through the sea of darkness. "What...Who were they?" Kathy asked.<p>

"They were...Hamon, my dad...And Jasmine...My mom." The son of them said.

"Wooow! Your mom's so pretty!" Lilly says with a smile.

He smiled back. "Thanks...Lilly." He looks around the darkness he was in. "She's out there...And once this is over...I want and have to find her once all of this is over...But not after stopping Rian and saving EX."

Using his tails, Tails flew over to him as best as he could. "I hope things go well for you once this is all over."

"Yeah...I hope so too." He looks down to see the darkness then forming into a long hallway that holds a Heartless emblem at the end, to which also made them land on the ground. "What the...Where are we?"

"I don't know...But let's find out." The foxy Mobian saw a door around the corner and entered through to see the inside of it; It was labratory that held a large Golden heart that looked much of the one in Hollow Bastion in the middle of it, but there was a difference between the two; This one was incomplete. "Hey...This is the heart in Hollow Bastion! But...It's unfinished."

"So...What? Are we in the past or something?" Ken wondered.

"You know...That wouldn't be a bad thought. Either that...Or a memory."

At that moment, they all looked to the side to see someone from the corner; Rian, whom was wearing a lab coat, before disappearing. "Hey! Wait up!" Knuckles yelled while he ran and swung his shield at the image, but it disappeared before he did. "Was that...Him?" He rubbed his head until they saw a panel coming out of the metal within the heart. "What the- What is that?"

The cat looked at it since she was closest. "It's something written on here." She observed it a bit more before turning to them. "Who should read it?"

The Red echidna shrugged. "I can try." They knew he may have been not very bright, but they knew he could read, so they let him do so. "Alright...Here it does..." He clears his throat.

_One's born of the hearts and darkness, devoid of hearts, ravage all worlds and bring desolation of life.  
>Seize all hearts and consummate the almighty heart. All hearts to be one, one heart to encompass all.<br>Realize the destiny: The realm of **Kingdom Hearts**.  
>The great darkness sealed within the great heart.<br>Progeny of darkness, come back to eternal darkness, for the heart of light shall unseal the path.  
>Seven hearts, seven emeralds, one Keyhole, one key to the door.<br>The door to darkness, tied by two keys and souls. The door to darkness to seal the light.  
>None shall pass but shadows, returning to the eternal darkness.<br>Ones born of the heart and darkness, hunger for every heart until the dark door opens.  
>The door to darkness.<em>

At this point, the echidna was confused. "Kingdom Hearts? What kind of place is that?"

"The seven emeralds..." The hedgehog said quietly. "It means of the Chaos Emeralds, right? But...What does the Keyblade have to do with anything?"

Kathy just shook her head in confusion. "I don't get it..."

"Me neither Kath...Me neither."

The katana wielding kangaroo then thought of something. "Oooh! I know! Maybe Kingdom Hearts is a kingdom where the hearts are!"

"Maybe...But thinking about this won't get us anywhere near Rian. We should probably keep moving and find a way out of here."

They nodded in agreement until the area they were in started to melt quickly. "Not before you all lose your lives..." A voice said.

"Rian!" They all said.

"Your graves shall be placed here...And all hope will disburse in your final hour!"

The area they were in finally melted away, causing everyone to fall down into the darkness once again. They all kept falling until they started to slow down, and landed into a new area; It was a Purple cave with Green crystals as the floor and also held a Heartless symbol on the wall. Looking around the area, they saw the emblem. "So...Anyway out of here guys?" Tails asked.

Ken just looked around to find anything. "No...Nothing." At that moment, Invisibles and a new kind of Heartless showed up; It was a capsule-like with angel wings, to which he called them 'Angle Star'. "Watch out! Incoming!" He summoned the Oblivion keyblade while everyone else prepared themselves and quickly dodged one of the Invisible's sword attacks, to which he countered by stabbing the weapon downward onto the blade and did a sudden spin and shot himself toward to kick it harshly. Doing this sent the shadow sword wielder backwards toward the wall, and he decided to take this time to finish it off by stabbing the Keyblade into it, but was interrupted by the new Heartless using its wings to block the attack, sending him backwards now and shot a fireball, which also hit him and sent him down to the ground. He tried getting up, but his stab wound pained him. _"Ouch...I guess I haven't recovered yet."_

_**"Let me take over. You need to recover!"**_

_"No...I can take it!" _He slowly got up and replaced his chosen weapon into the Symbol of Hope, gripping on it. "This time...It's on." He charged at the capsule-like Heartless while both Tails and Lilly joined him on the take down on the one he chose to fight, while both the Knothole guardian and cat within HedgeHaven teamed up to dispose of the Invisible. She shot her flames of darkness and orbs of twilight at it while he blocked off any of the flames that the being of darkness threw at them, but he countered it by quickly throwing his shield at it to stun it, doing to quickly and nicely.

By it now being stunned, he then grabbed the shield after it went back to him like a boomerang. "Kathy!" She nods and he puts his hand together so she could jump onto them, to which he then threw her up into the air so she could get some air time to do any attacks she could. Taking this time to her advantage, she quickly shot out many of her orbs at the sword wielder, and due to it being stunned, it couldn't do anything to block the attacks and just took every single hit, but all of that was finally over when she charged up an orb and shot it, making it explode and send it backwards into the wall while the sword then stabbed itself into the ground.

She landed and observed the sword for a bit, and saw there was Japanese writing on it for some reason, saying 'Wielder of Darkness'. But by looking at it a bit longer than she should have, Black flames circled around them, to which she dodged them by grabbing the handle of the blade and balanced herself on top of it to dodge the attack before it closed in on her, also creating the Heartless she thought she destroyed. She finally made sure of it by grabbing the sword and stabbed it through its owner, making it fade away into darkness. She landed and looked at the sword, which was now hers now, with a smile. "...I'm keeping you." She said.

Meanwhile, the other three chased down the newest Heartless while two of them shot their magic at it, hoping to hit but every attempt missed. However, the small Magenta haired kangaroo finally got impatient and used her tail to jump up to it and claim a win by slashing it. However, it used its wings to knock her back, sending her down onto the ground. "Ouch!" She rolled around until she used her tail to reclaim balance.

"NOW!" Ken yelled before bursting into a Brown aura while his Keyblade glowed brightly, using its ability to charge up into a small ball and released all its force down onto the capsule monsters, then quickly did multiple Homing Attacks to weaken and defeated it by using enough force for it to shatter into multiple pieces, destroying it and releasing the heart within. "And THAT'S how you do it!" He landed onto the ground until he felt the wound where he was stabbed catching up to him. "Come on...Not now!"

"Are you alright?" Tails asked while walking over with everyone else.

"Yeah...I'm fine."

"Daddy...Maybe you should rest!" Lilly said.

He shook his head. "No...We don't have the time to. We have to...Keep going." They all saw the emblem on the wall shatter, revealing an entry way, but it did more than just that; It made a new kind of Heartless rise from the ground. It looked much like a Shadow, but it looked more muscular and standing on two legs; Neo Shadows. But there was more than just one of them. There was at least a hundred. "Oh come on...You've got to be kidding me."

They all prepared themselves. "You should rest! You've got friends to protect you!" The cat said, raising her new blade with a small bit of difficulty.

The word 'friends' made something in him click. "Yeah...Friends." He rose his Keyblade. "Let's hope I have enough to do this..." He stabs it into the ground. "Spyro! Navi! Clank! Daxter! I need help here!" Multiple colors flashed from outside and shot out, creating the four summons.

"Hey Ken! Long time to see!" The Purple dragon states with a smirk. "Man, you're pretty beat up. You alright?"

"Huh? Hey, Purple guy, who are you?" Navi asked in suspicion, given a look. "Hm...You know him?"

"Are you his comrades as well?" The small robot wondered. "It's nice to be working with you."

"Oh, he's also friends with MORE freaks?!" Daxter asked in annoyance. "What kind of get together is this suppose to be? Figuring our who'd be the new mascot for Playstation? Like someone would name a company that anyway. That would just sound corny!"

"Listen guys! I need you here!" The one who summoned said, catching their attention. "This place is the final stretch. Once we get past here, all the worlds will be back. Can you guys do this?"

Spyro smirks again. "Do you even need to ask? Anything to kick Gnasty Gnorcs butt again!"

"Anything for Zelda!"

"I will do what I was told to do for Ratchet."

The small Orange creature then started thinking. "Well...This COULD get me a good reputation..." He smiled sinisterly while taking out a bazooka. "Let's beat these guys!"

The five heroes went their ways while the ones who were summoned dealt with their half. The dragon shot his breathes of flames, ice, and lightning toward a set of Neos, and Clank quickly used his jetpack arms to charged into them and did immediately did karate chops to the best of his strength and turns his hand into small laser, the Geo-Laser, to quickly dispose of them. At the same time, Daxter just shot many missiles from his gun while Navi roamed around for targeting for the small one so he didn't end up hitting their friends.

Their efforts finally made a difference when there was less, and there was an opening, which Knuckles noticed. "GUYS! GO!" They all saw it and quickly ran off while Ken was about to cancel the summons.

"Thanks guy! You did good! Leave the rest to us!" He yelled while they all sealed back into the Keyblade, and then focused on running to the opening. At that very moment, they jumped through it, to which it closed off behind them. "Well...Looks like we're not getting out."

"Yeah...Tell me about it." Tails says while getting up, then saw they were in a small room with a spring near them and a White door on the other end. "Well...At least we're safe."

"Yeah...Yippee..." The Keyblade master then lies against the wall weakly while holding where he was stabbed by the Unknown person back in Hollow Bastion.

Seeing this, Lilly gathered some of the water within the spring in her hands and puts it near her father figures mouth. "Daddy...Drink up. You need to be ok."

He looks at it and drinks slowly. "Thanks...I'll be fine...I need to be." He slowly gets up and looks at the door. "That door...That was back in the Islands...In a dream." THey all stared at him while he walked over to the door and grabbed it, but something played within his head. "W-What?"

_"__Careful. This is the last haven you'll find here. Beyond, there is no light to protect you or your heart. But don't be afraid...While it's one with you, your heart is the mightiest weapon of them all. Remember...You are the one who will open the door to light." _

"K-Ken? Are you ok?" Kathy asked.

Did they not hear that at all? Was it just in his mind? It must have been since it was from the voice that was with him since the beginning. This was it. Through this door was the end of their journey. All of the struggles they went through as a team, and best friends, was finally near its close. "Yeah...I'm fine. Let's...finish this." He gripped on the handles of the door and looked behind him. "This is it guys...Once we go through, there's no turning back. Either we fight with all we got and win...Or lose and let all our efforts go to waste. Are you guys ready?"

"Do you even need to ask? We've been together through it all now, and nothing's going to stop us now." The fox said with a smile.

"Yeah, and I'm ready to give that guy what's coming to him!" The Knothole guardian said while popping his fists.

"I came with you guys after finding my home to stop him. So...Of course I am." The cat states.

It was then that the small kangaroo nodded with a smile. "Let's beat the bad guy once and for all!"

He smiled, knowing he had people with him, then opening the door, making a light within it shine through. It meant one thing now.

The end was finally near.


	34. End of the World - Part II

_**Chapter XXXIV: End of the World - Part II**_

The five heroes opened and entered through the door to be covered in a light, to which it later faded away and they all entered into a new area; A beach-like island with wooden ports and large trees. They all stared at the site they were in in amusement, except for both Ken and Kathy since they both knew for a fact on where they were.

He just shook his head in disbelief. "Kathy...Is this-"

"I-I'm not sure...Maybe." She just says.

"Huh? You know this place?" Tails asked.

The Hazel hedgehog nodded. "Yeah, this is where me and Kathy lived all our lives. But...It was destroyed..." He crossed his arms in thought. "Though...This is also a Heartless world, so maybe it's just my imagination..."

_"This world has been connected..."_

"Huh?!" Lilly asked while looking around. "Did you hear that?" They nodded. "But...Where is he?"

_"Tied to the darkness...Soon to be completely eclipsed. There is so much to learn, yet you understand so little. A meaningless effort; One who knows nothing can understand nothing." _

The islands then started looking sinister and cracked while being covered in darkness, along with the ocean now a cold and dark shade of Purple. Both of the islanders knew that this was fake now, and it had to be. But that wasn't what caught the hedgehogs attention, a hedgehog was standing near the edge of the water; EX, in his Heartless armor. "EX..." He said quietly while gripping his fists and quickly ran over to him with the others following. "EX!"

"...Take a look at this small place...To the heart seeking freedom, this island is a prison, surrounded by water." 'EX' explained with a dark chuckle. "And so this young man sought out to escape it, and to cross over into other worlds...And yet, his heart accepted and gave into the darkness." He slowly turned to them while glowing a sinister Purple, turning from the Red hedgehog into Rian: The Seeker of Darkness.

"EX! Let him go!"

"Don't bother. He cannot hear your voice from where he is within the polar of light. His heart belongs within it. Do you not understand?" He crosses his arms. "All worlds begin and end in darkness, as goes for the heart. It is no different. This power sprouts, grows, and consumes within it! Such as its nature!" He disappeared from their sight, wondering on where he went. "In the end, every heart returns to darkness from whence it came!" They all looked behind them and jumped backwards with their guard up. "You see...It is the hearts true essence.

After hearing all he had to say, the Brown Mobian closes his eyes and just stands still. "You know...You're right about one thing; The heart might be weak and it can easily give in...But if there's on thing I've learned from my mom...Is that in the deepest of darkness...There's light. And that it'll never go out on you, no matter how deep!" He summons his Symbol of Hope Keyblade. "...You can go and keep talking about all that darkness crap for all I care, but even your research is wrong on this. There's a difference between believing in research...And fact!"

"...So, you've come this far, and you still understand nothing!" Rian yelled just before something appeared behind him; It was a Black and buffed up ghostly pureblood Heartless that acted much like a guardian. "Every light must fade and returns to darkness!" By this happening, they all prepared themselves for what was ahead of them; The final battle.

_**Enemy: Rian: The Seeker of Darkness**_

He rose his hand to the air. "Attack, Guardian!" The guardian then appeared before his master and started shooting out multiple orbs of darkness toward the heroes, making them all scatter away from each other and go separate directions, which is exactly what he wanted them to do since they all worked together quite well. From both sides, three of the ones who were able to use either magic or flames started shooting it toward the Seeker of Darkness, but they were all blocked when he snapped his fingers before the pureblood guardian appeared before him. "Your attacks cannot penetrate my defenses. All attacks are meaningless."

"Nothing's meaningless unless we try!" Tails states until he started shooting multiple sparks of his strongest level of Thunder, but they did little to no damage to him. From the back, Knuckles hurled his shield toward the controller of the Heartless and hoped it world hit, but it was instead captured and stopped, to which he now decided to leap and throw a fist at the Guardian. He was able to hit it, but it did no damage to him. Taking advantage of this moment, Rian formed darkness within his hand and shot it in the echidnas chest, sending him backwards and down onto the ground.

"Knuckles!" Ken yelled in worry, then growled. "Kathy! Lilly! With me!" They nodded and the three sword wielders grouped together and rushed toward him with their weapons ready and leaped to do a slash, but the one protecting the enemy just defended him via getting in front. With Lilly's quickness, Kathy's heavy sword swinging, and the Keyblade masters average swing attacks, they'd hope that the attacks they inflicted onto him would get through, but it never did, and only ended up sending them back.

By seeing all of this, the Orange evil hedgehog just chuckled. "It's obvious that you would not bypass my defenses. Your hearts cannot handle the darkness that I withhold in my grasp!" He aims his hand toward them. "Submit!" The guardian disappeared, making them wonder on where it went.

"What...Where did it go?" The cat asked, but her question was answered by the guardian appearing behind the Dark Chocolate hedgehog. "Ken, behind you!"

"Huh?" He looks behind him just when he was grabbed by the legs and feet. "Hey! Let me go!" The two of the sword holders tried to get the grip on him to lower, but none of the attacks did anything. If possible, it might just really be as impenetrable as he says. Taking this to his advantage, Rian formed a dark orb filled with the darkest of darkness and shot it at the young wielder. Since he was unable to do anything, he had no choice but to take the hit and cough out saliva and worsen his stab wound from the battle against the unknown person in Hollow Bastion. And since they were in a hurry, it couldn't fully heal. By seeing this, the other four did the best they could to release him, but it did nothing while he was kept getting shot at with darkness. The others DID attempt to attack the Seeker of Darkness while the Guardian was gone, but each and every attempt ended up failing. _"This...This is killing me...I can't get out and nothing can stop this guy...Dark, give me an idea or something before I become dead!"_

**_"Gimmie a minute!" _**Dark Ken yelled. **_"I've got it! Get one of 'em to switch out your Keyblade to the Oblivion! I have an idea!" _**

_"What...Whatever works..." _He looks at Lilly slowly. "L-Lilly...Get the Black Crown keychain out of my pocket...I-It's in there...Swi-Switch my Keyblade with that."

She looked at him with tears in her eyes just by seeing her father figure getting hurt, but nodded. "O-Ok Daddy!" She looks through his pockets quickly and takes it out to switch them, creating the Jet Black weapon. "T-This?"

"Yeah...Perfect..." He took another hit, making it worsen and weaken him. _"Dark! Do it!" _

_"_SYNCHRO_**NIZATION!"**_ Darkness then overcame him, taking everyone off guard.

"What...What's going on?!" The Ruby-Red echidna wondered, but the darkness then faded away and his friend was no longer in its grasp. "What the-"

"What?! What trickery is this?!" Rian yelled in shock until he was suddenly attack by someone that shocked everyone; Dark Ken.

**"THIS time, you're gonna get it!****" **He said towards him before he quickly jumped behind and glide towards the Seeker of Darkness, only for the Guardian to get in the way to block it, but he saw this and quickly slipped through it to get behind and slashed him in the back, paining the enemy. **"Booya! How do ya like THAT?" **

He stared at the dark counterpart in anger. "This is...Impossible! How could he switch out with his darkness within his heart at will?!" He growled loudly. "I will not be defeated by a young man such as yourself!" He formed one of his strongest orb of darkness within his hands and shot it at the Heartless hedgehog. This darkness was not the same kind as the Heartless was, but darkness of pure power.

**"Yeah! As if!" **He quickly slipped behind him once again and grasped the Oathkeeper. **_"Ken! Now!"_**

_"Right!" _The Dark version then disappeared into darkness to bring back the Brown hero so he could switch the Oblivion with the Oathkeeper. "This ends here, RIAN!" Using all of the energy he had left, he activated his weapons ability to summon the energy blade onto the weapon. The Seeker of Darkness quickly saw this and used his fullblood protector to take the attack, creating a clash of light and dark sparks, but then the impossible happened. The weapon went through the guardian, splitting it into two down to the middle, also slashing the Orange hedgehog, sending him down onto the ground while the owner landed and the weapons ability faded. "...Take that."

"DADDY!" Someone suddenly jumped into his arms, seeing who it was clearly. "That was scary but awesome!"

"I thought Dark was gone for good though." Tails said while rubbing his head. "This is just confusing."

He was about to explain, but there was laughter from nearby, making them look to see its source rising; Rian. "You truly do believe that this is over? It is far from the conclusion. In fact...It has only begun!" He formed darkness within his two hands and shot it at the ground consuming the entire area in the very same essence.

* * *

><p>They didn't know what happened, but all they knew was they were within the deepest and darkest of darkness that he sent them into. It took them a while to recover, but they saw where they were, although it was nothing but just that.<p>

"...Behold, the endless abyss!" The Seeker of Darkness' voice echoed "Within it lies the heart of all worlds..." They kept looking around until they saw something unusual; A large White door that's being held up by a snowy-like platform that led to a path. It reminded the hedgehog of the area his mom was in. Could he find her here? "...Kingdom Hearts!" They all just stared at it in shock. So this was what this 'Kingdom Hearts' was. "Look closely as you are able, for you will not find the smallest bit of light. From within are where all hearts are born; Even yours. Of Light, Darkness, Dawn, and Twilight!"

They all just listened to all he had to say while Kathy looked down at where her heart rested within her. Did that also help create of what her father is now, including her own powers? But that thought was interrupted by a new being then appearing before them; It was a large and rocky White being with a ring behind it made of triangles, and an Orange core while it showed the Seeker of Darkness attached to it while holding a double-edged Soul Eater. The sight of it shocked the Knothole Knights. "That...Can't be!" Knuckles starts.

"It's...It's the legendary monster of darkness; Solaris!" The fox finished.

"Do you see now? Darkness conquerors all worlds!" Rian yells before laughing sinisterly. "Your lives shall be ridden here!" Using the beasts power, he threw a large shockwave at them, not only sending them away and making all of the keychains scatter, but also ridding of their time, of floating and falling. At the same time, the legendary monster formed a portal of darkness and sucked everyone except Ken inside.

"Oh man, oh man, OH MAN!" He kept falling while trying to grab all he could, only getting the Kingdom Key, Symbol of Hope, Oathkeeper, and Oblivion. And if he needed to have any chance of surviving, he needed to get the Toadstool Toppler. He tried to grab it, but he ended up missing it and start falling down into the abyss. _"Is...This it? Is this how everything's going to end up?"_

_"Givin' up already? C'mon, ya better than that."_

_"Please...Stand up, my son."_

He knew those two voices; EX and his mom, Jasmine. He couldn't give up here, not after getting this far. With the emeralds within his pocket, he glowed into multiple colors, and then started flying once again back to the surface. The very sight of this surprised the villain. "What? You decide to not succumb to the darkness?"

"...Not on your life!" He says while wielding his Kingdom Key Keyblade and flew toward the Seeker of Darkness in such a fast speed and prepared to swing the weapon he holds toward him, but it was quickly countered by the wield of the duel sided Soul Eater. He quickly used his keychains ability and started swinging at such a fast speed so he could bypass the defenses he has right now, but the attempts only meant nothing by him hurling the weapon and sent the Brown Mobian backwards to Solaris' eye of sight. The creature then started creating portals that shoots meteors at the hero, only for him to fly away and hurl his weapon at them to either break them or knock them away.

All Rian did was just watch him struggling to his amusement. "Look at yourself, struggling to stay alive. I have never seen anything of such amusement in eighteen years." He chuckled while saying this, but it slowly faded away. "However...This time of playing must come to an end." He snapped his fingers, commanding the monster to create multiple beams of light to come out of the core, aimed toward Ken. However, he flew away as fast as he could while dodging any of the attacks Solaris made. He knew he wasn't going anywhere if this kept up, so he had to do something quickly. Here's what was available to him at the moment; Meteors, beams, a Keyblade, and a twin sided Soul Eater. He had an idea in mind.

He kept flying around while more of the beams of light were trying to shoot him down, and he took this time to use the ability of his Kingdom Key and quickly guarded against the beams, causing tension between the weapon and beams. Taking advantage of this, he quickly tiled the weapon to no longer aim it at him and reflected the beam at someone else; The Seeker of Darkness himself. He saw this and quickly countered it by lifting up the twin blades to try and block it, however it ended up spitting his weapon into two and pierce through his body, which took him a while to call off the attack. Now it was time for part two to come into play. Another set of meteors then flew toward him, which he was able to either send back or destroy with him magic. The last one, however, he quickly guarded against and parried it back at his enemy, and since he was still recovering, he couldn't do anything else but take the attack.

After all of the attacks, the Orange hedgehog gripped his chest in pain. "How...How could this happen to me? I am the Seeker of Darkness; The one to control the Heartless!"

"For someone who controls the Heartless, you sure are losing control of the situation!" He looked up to see Ken then flying toward him and quickly slashed him with the Keyblade, making him cough out blood. "So...What was that about ending me?"

He growled until he saw the blood he leaked. "W-What? How could one with such a small light hurt the one that wields the darkest of darkness?" He growled loudly. "I've had enough of you! It is time I end this!" His weapon disappeared and he sunk into Solaris, making the being glow brightly.

_"What is he even planning?"_

**_"Not even I know...But since he's busy, this might be the perfect time to save your friends."_**

_"How exactly? I don't have anything to help me on that." _

**_"Try using part of the power of Oblivion. It has more than just one perk, but it requires that last bit of energy you have. Since we're in darkness and I'm part of it along with Oblivion, it's worth a shot." _**

He didn't have anything else left to do until what might happen happens, so he switched his Kingdom Key with Oblivion and did a quick swipe while putting his magic into it, creating a Black tear that showed something from within; Tails, Knuckles, Kathy, and Lilly fighting off Neo Shadows. _"Wow...I didn't know about this. Thanks, Dark. I'll keep this in mind." _He dove right into it.

* * *

><p>He quickly lands into the area to see he's within a dark room with a Neon Blue Heartless symbol on the floor, and also his friends. "Guys! I'm here! Hang on!" He quickly switched back to his other weapon and ran over to help take care of the Neo Shadows. While both the kangaroo and cat took care of one groups of them, he came to assist both of the knights by doing their traditional routine. The guardian of Knothole slammed his shield and fists on one of them to destroy them, and the mage used his Blizzard magic to freeze where they so the keyblade master would destroy them by slashing it so it can turn into small bits of ice.<p>

When they finished, so did the other two. "Ken! I'm glad you're alright!" Kathy said while Lilly hugged him.

"What's going on out there?" The fox asked.

"Rian and me. That's what. He's just about finished but Dark told me of a way to bail you guys out. I might as well while he's doing...Something." The Hazel one explained, then pointed at the tear. "That's our way out. We should hurry in case he tries to do something."

"Agreed. Let's get out of here!" They all ran and jumped out, leaving the area.

* * *

><p>They returned back into the abyss, but was now floating with the thanks of the emeralds in their possession. They looked around for Rian until he emerged from Solaris' body, catching them off guard. "There he is!" The echidna yelled while preparing his shield, but there was a new look to the Seeker of Darkness now; He was now glowing Purple once again, but more sinister and darkish than before.<p>

At that point, he just laughed. And if the main villain in this story laughs, then you know it's not good. "At long last...It's ready." He formed a small ball of darkness with a red core in the middle into his hands. "...Feel true despair." He quickly throws it past them, thinking he missed, but that was far from what he planned. He gripped his hand tightly, turning the small ball into a large portal of darkness that sucked everything in.

"HAND ON GUYS!" The Keyblade master yelled while trying to fly away, with everyone else doing the same at their top strength. However, Lilly being the youngest one, was far weaker than them physically, so she was being pulled into the portal. He knew something was wrong, so he looked back to see what was happening. "LILLY!" He quickly turned and flew towards her so she could grab and throw her away from it.

She and the others knew what was going to happen next. "KEN!" They all yelled, but he only just smiled and took the hit, getting put into the core of it just before it exploded. They all just stared at what just happened and watched the wielder just fall into the abyss.

"N-No...Daddy..." She just stared and gripped her arms while trying not to cry.

* * *

><p>All he could see was just light since that was the world he was in while lying in a large pool of water that was the ground in this world. He woke up and looked around until a shadow of a hedgehog walked over to him. "Who...Is that?"<p>

"Come on...Kenny. Get up." A familiar voice said, one he knew of very well before the light revealed her; Katie. She offered her hand to him, to which he accepted and was pulled up. "...You can't die now. Not after everything."

He was about to say something, but he just shook his head and looked down. "I don't know...I was doing so well until it happened...How can I...How am I...If he has that much power, then how can I beat him?"

"...You think you're alone in this, don't you?" He wasn't sure on how she knew, then again, it was Katie of all people. So, he nodded. "Don't think like that. Don't you remember what you said back in King of the Iron fist?"

"That the strength of my heart is with all the bonds I made?" She nodded. "Yeah...That's right...I remember saying that, didn't I?" She nodded again, which also caused more others to appear, he looked at who they all were; Everyone he's ever met up until now, including two other he never expected: Both Hamon and Jasmine, despite her not being dead. "Don't let them down...And don't ever change."

It was what she said to him before back in Destiny Islands, and like last time, he nodded. "...I will."

* * *

><p>While he fell into the abyss, his eyes quickly opened while the emeralds in his possession glowed brightly, causing a light to illuminate from the top of the surface. The four other heroes noticed this before the Seeker of Darkness did after laughing in victory for a while. "W-What? What is this?" He asked before Ken rose from the darkness, which shocked him but also made the team smile. "No...There's no WAY! I KILLED YOU!"<p>

"...You think you can kill the son of Hamon and Jasmine the Hedgehogs? Trust me...I'm hard to kill." He just says while the seven Chaos Emeralds floated around him. "...As the Keyblade Master, I won't let you go any further in this!" The seven jewels then glowed brightly, making him do the same and changed his weapon to multiple ones until it finally stopped to one and cause a large light to flash to create something new; The hedgehog was no longer Brown, but was now instead Gold, along with his quills going upward, with deadly Crimson eyes, a Golden aura, and also had his wounds healed, including the one from before, and now wielded a new Keyblade. It was now a Blade with a Gold and Blue handle, Gold filigree around the blade, a gold gilded heart on the end, and a Gold hedgehog icon as the keychain on it. The weapon he named for gaining the ultimate power; Ultima Weapon while also becoming his most powerful form; Super Ken.

The very sight of him, for the first time ever, put fear into Rian. "No...This was not suppose to happen! This is impossible!"

"...The impossible just became possible." The Golden hedgehog just slowly flew over to where his enemy was, whom just started shooting orbs of darkness at him but they meant nothing since he deflected them. He did every single attack he could do but it all meant nothing in the long run, then was suddenly slashed by the ultimate keyblade, instantly destroying Solaris and took the Seeker of Darkness with it.

After the explosion, he just stood there looking around to see if there was any remains left until he was suddenly hugged by not just Lilly, but everyone else. "DADDY!" She yelled.

"We thought you were a goner!" Tails said.

"...Please don't so that again." Kathy just said simply.

He smiled upon them doing this, but his ear perked and verbally asked them to stop hugging. "What is it? Is it over?" Knuckles asked.

"...No, far from over." He said to them, then looked at Kingdom Hearts to see someone between them; Rian, whom was weak. "...It's over Rian. Stop this here and now."

He just laughed lowly. "...You must know that no matter how much you may try, it is futile. The Keyblade alone cannot seal the door to darkness..." He just smirked and reached for the large door. "Kingdom Hearts! I command you to fill me with the power of darkness! Supreme darkness!"

The door slowly opened to have darkness leaking out from the inside and to the out, which shocked everyone else, but not the now Gold Mobian. Instead, he just smiled. "Rian...You're wrong. You maybe smart, but every genius is wrong in one way or another." He Orange hedgehog of evil just stared at him. "After all I've been through on my journey...I know now on what Kingdom Hearts really is..." He swiped his hand. "LIGHT!"

Instead of darkness flowing out, it was now light, overtaking the Seeker of Darkness while also weakening and blinding him. "Light...L-Light...But...WHY?!" He slowly turned into ashes and floated away, ending the mad man once and for all.

_**Rian: Seeker of Darkness: Defeated**_

Once he was defeated, the emeralds then started circling quickly and shot themselves into the sky before scattering, returning Super Ken back to just regular him and his Ultima Weapon returning to his Kingdom Key. "...Come on! We have to close the door!" They nodded and quickly floated down to the door so they could push it shut, however, due to their small size, it was nearly impossible for them to even close it.

Being curious, the echidna looked over to see something on the other side, which shocked him. "Uh...Guys? We have a problem."

"Yeah! You not pushing! Hurry up and-" The kitsune said until he was grabbed by the head by the guardian. "Ow! Hey! What are you-" He looked at what it was, along with everyone else; Heartless of all kinds. "Oh no..." He quickly got out of his grasp and everyone started pushing faster. "Everyone push! Double time!"

"But it won't budge!" The Keyblade master said until a hand came and grabbed a part of the door, but not just any regular hand; A gauntlet. He knew instantly on who it was; EX.

"Don't give up! C'mon! Together we can do it!" He yelled with an echo.

"But what about you?!" The cat asked.

"I can't move over to the other side! It needs to be closed on both ends! It's the only way!"

He didn't want to listen to him and argue about it, but they needed to focus on closing the door. They tried as much and best as they could, and it did move slowly, but not fast enough to close everything out. On the other side, three Darksides were being created to stop the hedgehog of darkness from assisting them. Knowing they weren't going to make it, Knuckles just slammed his fist on the door in anger. "It's hopeless! We'll never close it in time!" At that moment, a speeding Blue blur wiped them out in an instant.

"C'mon Knuckles! Don't start thinking like that!"

By hearing that voice now, both of the knights looked with wide eyes to see who it was on the other side, seeing the Blue hedgehog fully. "Sonic!"

"The one and only!" He takes out his Keyblade now. "Yo Ken! C'mon so we can close this baby for good!"

Tails nodded to them. "Do it!"

"Huh!? But what about-" The Brown Mobian tried to ask.

"Don't worry about that! Because if there's a door to darkness...There's there's ALWAYS a door to light! Least that's what I think!"

"Enough talking! Let's get this thing close before they come!" EX yelled.

The hedgehog king nodded. "Yeah...Right. Tails, Knuckles, thank you. You're the best of friends a guy like me could ask for. Tell Amy I'm sorry for doing this when you're back, will ya? And Kathy? Lilly? You chose to help us even thought you didn't have to. I owe you guys. Big time. But hey...That's for another time."

The two friends of his pushed the door with all their might while tears streamed down their eyes, along with everyone else following suite. They held no regret for what they were about to do now, and they stuck with it. When the door was about to close, the Crimson hedgehog looked at his friend with a smile and said something before it did, which made him a bit teary eyed.

"Take care of them."

He nodded and both of the hedgehogs rose their Keyblades to the sky and filled in their roles to close the door, making it glow into a bright light before fading away, taking their friends along with it. It was over. It was all finally over.

The keyblade master stared at where the door was and memories flooded into him; Memories of when both him and EX were little kids all the way until their ages now and they always fought with each other, physically for fun, and whenever they got into arguments. By these very thoughts, he wiped away one of the tears. _"I'll see you soon...EX." _At that very moment, he felt someone was behind him, then looked to see who it was; Katie, whom was looking around in wonder on how she got there. "Katie..."

Without hesitation, he quickly ran over to her, and Tails and Lilly wanted to stop him, but Knuckles stopped them. "...He has to go. Back to him home. His real one."

Kathy couldn't help but smile a bit, even if it was a bit fake. "...I'll miss him."

The small kangaroo couldn't help but be sad, but if he gets to be happy, then that's probably what she has to do; Let him go. She looked at him. "...Bye bye Daddy...I'll miss you."

_"Ken..."_ The fox thought while gripping his fists, then looked at him with a smile. _"...Thank you for the good memories. I'm glad...I got to know you."_

From the inside of the icy platforms, a piece of land that holds sand started to form. She was worried for a bit until she was her friend. "K-Kenny..." She smiled and tried to run to him, but couldn't, which meant one thing; The walls were returning. "Ken! What's happening?!" She reached out for him and only grabbed his hand.

"The walls are returning! But...I can't go with you as much as I want to! Not yet!"

"What?! Why?!"

"Because I have to find King Sonic and EX! Maybe find my mom if it's convenient, but I'm not going back home until I do!"

"But what if you never find them?!"

That was a good point. What if he didn't? "Katie...I just wanted to tell you...That..." He wanted to tell her about how he felt, but he didn't want to put a burden on her about his feelings, but he was given a small amount of time since both of the pieces of land were separating. "...I'm always with you! No matter what I have to do, I'll come back! I promise!"

"I-I know you will!"

With that said, they both lost their grip onto each other and slowly parted from each other. He couldn't help but get on the ground and start banging on the ground in anger since being the wielder of the Keyblade was his curse. While floating away, small particles of light then started falling down from the sky, recreating the island again, and along with other worlds lost by the Heartless.

"Katie!" A echoing voice called, showing it was Ken. "Katie! KATIE!" The mist of light in which held where he was then vanished into a cloud, also recreating the stars in which build the worlds. Everything was back to normal, except there was no Ken. No EX. And no Kathy. She was alone.

* * *

><p>In the morning, the Cherry-Red hedgehog walked through the beach while it was sunrise. It turned out she was the only one with memories of the incident with the Heartless, but it was better this way. She wanted to be alone for a while, and so she went to the Secret Place, which she's never been into for a while. She looked through the drawings with a smile, relieving the memories from back then.<p>

_"Katie..."_

Her ears perked up and looked around, but saw nothing. But since she thought of him, she looked at the drawing both she and him made, but saw he put something new on there; Him giving her the Paopu fruit. The very sight of this couldn't help but make her smile a tear up a bit, and also made her add a new part of it on there. Now it was her giving him the very same fruit.

_"Katie...I just wanted to tell you...That..."_

She knew what he was trying to say, but held it back for her. "...I love you too."


	35. Epilogue: Another Tale

**_Chapter XXXV/Final Chapter: Epilogue: Another Tale_**

Thanks to the bravery of the five heroes, all of the worlds finally returned back to normal. Though, sadly not everyone got a happy ending from the aftermath. Within Destiny Island, Katie was standing near the shore and stood there, staring at the distance. Both Deimos and Nero were a bit worried for her since she was being introverted for the past while. So, they decided to talk to her.

"Hey, Katie? Are you alright?" The Black Mobian asked.

She nodded. "I'm fine...Perfectly fine."

"...I find that hard to believe."

She did answer, giving the Cyan one an opportunity. "Are you waiting for something to happen?"

"Yes, of course."

"Who exactly?"

She looks at the with a smile. "Ken, EX, and maybe Kathy too."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in Knothole, everyone was cheering upon the victory that both of the Knothole knights brought upon defeating Rian, but not everyone was all that happy. From within the castle walls, Cream the Rabbit was staring outside of the windows in worry, hoping that her fox boyfriend was alright.<p>

Her train of thought was interrupted by seeing Amy. "I thought I'd find you here!" She gave her friend a smile, but the rabbit princess looked back at the window. "I know what it's about. You're worried for Tails, aren't you?"

"...How can you tell?" She asked, still with her high pitched voice.

"It's written all over your face! I can read you like a book." The Pink hedgehog then sighed. "Look, I'm worried for my Sonic too, but I know that he's just fine and he'll be back! Same with Tails and Knuckles! I have faith in them. And so should you!"

She couldn't help but smile. "You're right, Amy." She looks at her long time friend. "Thank you."

"Anytime!"

* * *

><p>Back in Wumpa Island, Dr. Neo Cortex was being chased alongside Uka-Uka by a whirling Orange tornado, showing it was no other than Crash Bandicoot. While he was spinning, he was speaking some sort of weird jibberish. Something about boxes or whatnot.<p>

While being chased, the evil masked just growled. "CORTEX! YOU BETTER FIND A WAY OUT OF THIS!"

"I will Uka-Uka! I will!" He says to him until he just growled in anger. "I HATE YOU CRASH BANDICOOT!"

Even outside of what was happening, the Orange bandicoot never bothered to forget of Ken and the others, even if he maybe not the brightest of people.

* * *

><p>Inside the Snoozing Tree at Jibberish Jungle, Betilla was flying with a sphere in hands alongside the Teensies, Globox, and Rayman. After a while, she opened her eyes and smiled. "As I knew. The one that looks much like Hamon did it. I knew he had the power to do it."<p>

"You know something Betilla? I always wondered about something." The king teensie started, catching the fairy's attention. "...Do you think that one guy...Ken or whatever his name is, is Hamon's son?"

"...I'm sure he'll figure it out if he hasn't." She smiled. "He's become so much like him just through his strength and looks alone. If anything...His personality reminds me much of Jasmine. But..." She popped the bubble. "...That's something to think of for another day." She looks at the limbless hero. "So, Rayman, how about playing with the Lums?"

He instantly got excited and ran off alongside his frog friend. Even though things might get rough with him, he would always remember the Keyblade master and how he saved them from Mr. Dark. After all, they were friends.

* * *

><p>Within King of the Iron Fist, Jun Kazama was sitting on the bleachers while watching some of the fighter fighting each other. She was smiling while doing so since she wasn't in the state to be fighting at the moment. But in more than just one state to be frank.<p>

She started looking around until she saw some parts of the destruction that Kazuya inflicted, which also reminded her of Heihachi being back into power again. "...He'll need to be dealt with soon...But I don't think he'll have the power to do it alone..." She rubbed her stomach. "...I know that you'll be there when power finally begins to corrupt him." Even though she barely knew or talked to him, she never did forget about the hedgehog, and knew he would be back.

* * *

><p>Inside the Temple of Time at Hyrule, Link was sitting on the small pedastal that also holds the Master Sword while playing the Ocarina of Time. He was just sitting there playing until something passed him. "Huh?"<p>

"Link! Link! I'm back!" A voice said, revealing to be Navi.

"Navi! You're back!" He quickly got up. "Where's-" He quickly heard someone walking toward them, making him look to see who it was; Zelda. "Zelda..."

"Link...I..." She tried to say, but couldn't say anything. Instead, he just walked over to her and hugged her, to which she hugged back. "I'm sorry to put you through this..."

"I don't care for that. I'm glad you're ok." They kept their hug tightly, not saying any other words. _"Thank you Ken...You have no idea how happy I am to see her."_ And for that reason alone, he could never forget the Hazel one. Because he kept a promise to him.

At the very same time, the fairy knew that she had to go. Because she wanted him to be happy and not have her feelings for him. So, she decided to fly away through the window while not being notice and said something under her breath before leaving.

"I love you."

While she left, a certain man that wore Purple clothing and a backpack with multiple masks on it was walking around until he noticed something on the ground; A Purple heart-shaped mask. "Ooh! Could...This be?" He knew what this mask was; Majora's Mask.

* * *

><p>Back in Hedgehaven, because of Rian's defeat, Juliet was allowed to return back to her home. But there was something off; Kathy wasn't with her. While walking into the dreaded city, she saw her friends within the park.<p>

Upon seeing them, she smiled and and ran to them. "Hey guys!"

Kyo, who was bandaged, saw her. "Juliet! Thank goodness you're safe! Did that one guy hurt you?"

"Nope! I'm alright!"

"Yeah, yeah...Jeez, that one guy's gonna regret doing that to me!" Scythe said in anger, but noticed Kathy wasn't with her. "Kathy's not with you?"

"Huh?" The wolf-dragon hybrid looked around. "She's not with you?"

"Where did she go then?" Cathy questioned now. "I hope she's ok!"

The princess of heart just nodded and smiled. "She's fine! She'll back, I know she will." She looked up into the sky. "So long as they take care of her, I'm ok!"

The killer hedgehog looked up as well. _"...Just take care of her, will ya?" _And since that day, they've been waiting for the cat of twilight's return. Not just to visit. But to be back home.

But in the distance, Kathy's father stared at them. "...I'll see you then, Kathy."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in the Mushroom Kingdom, the Halloween party went even better than they hoped it would! Instead of making JUST the Heartless alone dance, Professor decided to make some sort of animatronics of ghosts and zombies dance on their own.<p>

While they danced and kept the townspeople busy, and Yoshi eating all of the food on the tables, even after Luigi filled them back up a few seconds later, The small professor just laughed a bit. "I'm surprised everything worked out well! I thought this party would be a disaster!"

"I would agree with that Master ! !" Toadsworth said while adjusting his vest.

"You-a just gotta have-a faith!" Mario said with a pleasant smile, but then got a bit sad. "I-a just wished Peach would-a see this."

It was then he was suddenly hugged from behind. "I do see it! And I love it!" He looks to see who it is; Princess Peach. Since the Seeker of Darkness was finally dealt with, she was sent back to her home.

"Peach-a! I was-a so worried!" He hugged back. "_Thank-ya very much Ken and-a friends." _Even though he maybe busy with his plumbing business, he never once let his thoughts about them fade away because of one thing; They saved the Halloween party.

In the darkness, Bowser Jr. was staring at him. "Just wait Mario! I'll get back my papa! I promise!"

* * *

><p>Inside of Veldin, Ratchet was sleeping inside the ship so he could wait for Clank. However, his nap was put to a stop when the glass was tapped on, making him wake up to see his robotic friend. "Clank? Clank!" He opens up. "Did everything go ok?"<p>

"Yes. Everything went just as expected."

"So, worlds are saved?"

"That's correct."

"Well good! Now how about we head on out and find Qwark? Get back at him?" Clank thought about it and shrugged before getting in. While the Lombax wished he could have gotten to know Ken and the others, Lilly included, none of them never forgot about him either since they stopped someone like Chairman Drek. And he felt that they'd meet again.

* * *

><p>At the Chao Garden, Hero-Chao and his other friends watched the stars shooting by near the Great Fruit Tree. And they were all enjoying each others company.<p>

Suddenly, Nights-Chao started something. "Hey, do you think Ken will come back?"

"Huh? Why do you think him, Nights-Chao?" The angel chao asked him.

"Oh...No reason. I guess I just don't want him to forget us is all."

"I don't think he will! So long as we don't forget about HIM!" He smiled. "You just have to have faith is all."

And they ended it just like that. No matter on how long it would take, they knew he would be back.

* * *

><p>Back with both Sackboy and Larry Da Vinci, they landed onto a large factory in their ship, and got off to meet someone; It was a Blue notepad with an eraser as a torso, and paperclips as limbs. "Larry! Welcome back."<p>

"Hello again Clive Handforth! It's nice to see our world back to normal!" The paper mache man said. "Now, tell me of what happened while we were away?"

"Well what happened to you?"

"Stuck in the Negativatron of course! But he's no longer around, thanks to someone who looked like Hamon."

"Hamon? You mean...Him?"

"Yes! Very much so. We never would have gotten out if not for him. Right Sack Thing?" It nodded happily. Especially after that, none of them could forget the five heroes. It was impossible.

* * *

><p>While behind a large stage that held multiple people in the front of it, Hatsune Miku looked from behind the curtains to look at the crowd, then looked back before taking a bit of a deep breath and taking out one of her music sheets that Ken found for her throughout his entire adventure. He could have refused to help her, but he did, and if not for him, she might not have gotten this far in terms of making music. She wished she got to know him outside of that, but there was one thing for sure; She would NEVER forget about him.<p>

She smiled while looking at it. "Arigato...Ken." She put up the song and got onstage while people cheered for her.

* * *

><p>Since all of the worlds finally returned, Ichigo and Orihime were finally able to return back home to where they came from. Where their world is, nobody knew in the world of Hollow Bastion, but the Babylon Rouge just figured they lived like they do now. Jet, Wave, and Tikal waited within the library for Storm since he had something to tell them.<p>

Getting impatient, the Purple Swallow groaned. "Where is that blubbering fool?"

"Just keep waitin' Wave. He'll be here." The Green hawk said.

As if right on cue, the albatross enters. "H-Hey guys! Sorry it...Uh...Took so long! But I found someone! Especially for...Uh...Tikal!"

"For me?" She asked right before the large White bird stepped away to reveal who it is; Shadow the Hedgehog. "Shadow..." She slowly walked to him, which caught his attention and looked up a bit. "Are you...Really-" He nodded, given a hug after that statement. "I'm glad you're ok..." She stops quickly. "Did you find him?"

"Yes, I did. But...Nobody won from that battle." The Black hedgehog says while crossing his arms. "I'm not sure on how long it might take...But I'll find him. Soon."

"Well...You aren't alone anymore. You just have to let us help you. We're friends, right?"

He stared at her and nodded with a small smile. "Right. Thanks...Tikal."

It was then that the Leafy-Green bird sighed loudly. "Oh man...Won't WE have some work to do so we can get this place back into shape?" She smiled by saying that. And later on they soon started to rebuild Hollow Bastion to what it was eighteen years ago. It would take some time, but during that, they never forgot their friends and the Keyblade master either.

* * *

><p>After Rian's defeat, Spyro was finally able to get back home in the world of Avalar alongside Elora. They walked through the forest-like area together until a humanoid cheeta ran up to them. "Spyro! Where have you been?"<p>

"Hunter!" He quickly ran over to him with a smile. "I'm so glad you're ok! Where's Bianca?"

"She's back home in Autumn Plains! Come on, let's go already!"

He ran away to lead them, making the faun chuckle a bit. "I guess some things just don't change, huh Spyro?"

"Guess not! Now to find Gnasty Gnorc and beat his butt!" He states with a smile and runs after his cheeta friend. Even after getting separated from his hedgehog friend, he never once forgot of him, and it's hard for him to forget people whom he cares for. _"Thanks guys...You five are the best of friends a dragon could ever ask for."_

* * *

><p>Back with Keaira and Daxter, since they finally returned home after the defeat, they was they were back into their world, the small one started explaining his adventure. "And THEN I laid the smackdown on them right then and there while they were cornered! They'd never woulda made it out if not for my bravery and strength!"<p>

The engineer just listened to him, not believing on anything he said of since something as small as him doing that was a bit hard to believe. "Uh-huh...I'm sure you did." She just looked and him and chuckled a bit. "Come on, let's go find Jak. I'm sure he's around here somewhere.

"Great! Maybe then you guys can bother to get me some PANTS!"

They kept walking, and even despite being separated by the other Princesses of Heart, the elf girl never did let them out of her mind, especially the Keyblade master and his friends.

* * *

><p>Within the darkness, EX the Hedgehog was shown floating around in it aimlessly. He was resting the entire time until he awoke from his sleep and quickly looked around. "Where...Where am I?" Though the biggest question was where Sonic was. He was with him when the door to darkness closed. Then again, maybe he could take this circumstance to his advantage.<p>

"...It seems you have awoken." A voice says.

His eyes widened in almost every level. He knew who owned the voice. "...Rian..."

* * *

><p>In some area that nobody knew, Ken and the others walked on a dirt road within a large ranging field. It was a question on why they weren't sent back home, but they all had one objective now; Find Sonic and EX.<p>

While walking Lilly sighed. "So, Daddy...What do we do now?"

"We find both EX and King Sonic. " He said to her. "Friends come first in anything."

"Right, we have to find that door to light, like what Sonic said." Tails says.

"Alright, but now that has me wondering. Where do we find it?" Knuckles asked, having a valid point.

They all just stopped upon hearing that and realized one giant flaw in their quest; What lead was there? And even if they had one, it could have been anywhere. They all sighed sadly until Kathy noticed something rustling in the bushes. "Hey! Look!"

Something then came out of it; Cheese the Chao, whom was flying on his own. "Hey Cheese! There you are!" The fox yelled making it stop. "Where have you been little guy?" It looked at them and started talking in a small babble while holding something, which surprised the Knothole knights; A letter with a Green icon of Sonic's head.

"Hey, look! That's the Kings seal!" THe echidna said.

"Hey, Cheese. Do YOU know where King Sonic went?" The Dark Caramel one asked.

Instead of responding, it started making noises and flew off. Even their lead was running away, they all looked at each other with a smile. "Let's get him!" The kangaroo explained right before they all chased after him and knew why they never returned home; Their journey wasn't over. Far from it. And they all knew that within every journey, there's an end. But in every end, there's another journey; Another tale.

_"Remember...Ken the Hedgehog. Your heart and soul are the only one that can open the door to light."_

* * *

><p>Within a dark city that was filled with neon lights while pouring rain, a small hedgehog wearing a Black coat that was similar to the unknown person back in Hollow Bastion. It wasn't Sonic, EX, or Ken by any means. It was a Purple hedgehog, but his bangs was covering part of his face. He stopped to look at a large skyscraper filled with multiple screens and, while not seeing, he sense someone at the top of it. The one on top of it was someone nobody expected; EX, who wore a Black coat and blindfold over his eyes. At the same time, Neo Shadows formed around the young hooded figure, multiplying into hundreds.<p>

Acting quickly the young hedgehog then summoned two weapons within its hands; Two Kingdom Keys. However, he weapons then clashed with each other to make a new form; Oathkeeper and Oblivion. He slashed each and every single one of them while asking the same question to the Crimson hedgehog.

_"WHeRe's KeN?"_

_Utter silence...Something so natural.  
><em>_The memory beyond...Something so simple._

The duel wielder finished off any of the enhanced Shadows until he quickly ran up the skyscraper toward the hedgehog of darkness.

**XIII - "Why Rian?"**

He hurled the Oblivion at him.

**XII - (Another Report) "A creation born of ignorance."**

The Red Mobian just smirked and leaped to grab it, even though he was blindfolded.

**11 - "Behind the door...Door to light."**

The two hedgehogs then finally met at the largest screen, ready to declare an attack.

**X - The secret place... "His voice...Left me." "This time, I'll fight."**

They both passed each other, not taking the time to attack.

**9 - A World Between - A Forgotten world; The Gathering**

**VIII - The third enemy - Nobody. "Who is Nobody you ask? They are nonexistent." **

**VII - ENDLESS; "What took you so long, Katie?" "Can we do it? Against that?"**

**VI - (The Thirteenth Order)**

**V - "Ken...Why?" "King Sonic...Why?"**

**IV - End of the World "What is this place?" "Is this the answer you've been looking for?" "This is the world in its main form" "Maybe our journey meant nothing after all.."**

The Red islander landed on the ground and looked back at his hooded enemy, preparing himself with the Oblivion he now holds.

**III - Paradise "We'll do together."**

**II**

Another Black hooded hedgehog appeared in the distance and landed after uncurling into a ball; Sonic the Hedgehog.

**_KINGDOM HEARTS_**

_"...I've been to see him. He looks a lot like you."_

* * *

><p>The Brown hedgehog suddenly woke up as if he was just out of a nightmare, and looked around to see where he was. He was still within the field, but it was now night and everyone else was sleeping. So he must have been the only one who woke up obviously. So, he decided to lie back down while staring at the sky.<p>

_"It's coming back to me...The true."_

**_X-The End-X_**

**_Next Time: Chain of Memories: Another Tale_**


End file.
